Warriors show championship resilience in valiant win over Grizzlies in Game 1

Memphis wasn't dancing last night...

Yeah the Dubs knocked off the Grizz 117-116 in Game 1 of their second round series and I’m happy to provide another golden scrapbook presentation of that wonderful moment…but first let’s rewind.

Imagine that I was going to put all my life’s financial savings on the line for the outcome of Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and the #2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies… and some mysterious fortune teller had pulled out their crystal ball 15 minutes before the 12:30 PT tipoff and told me the harrowing conditions that lied ahead… I would NOT feel good about the bet.

Rcito 🇵🇷 @ramon_rican

HARROWING CONDITIONS

These Bears Can Shoot?

• The Grizzlies’ mediocre distance shooters would have a three-point explosion. Jaren Jackson Jr. (shooting 32% from deep for the season) morphed into prime Dirk Nowitzki from behind the arc, hitting a playoff career high 6 triples on 9 attempts. Ja Morant hit four triples of his own despite only making a combined four for the entirety of his first round series against Minnesota. The Grizz would finish with 16 made threes.

warriorsworld @warriorsworld

Ja sees the Warriors and turns into a Splash Brother

Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe

The Grizzlies have made 14 three-pointers with 9:28 left. The most they made in a game in the first round was 15

The Refs Hate Us?

• There were a billion calls that Dub Nation could point to as weird or downright disrespectful. But the referees throwing GSW’s lead defender and playmaker Draymond Green out for no apparent reason…in the first half?! Degree of difficulty: RATCHETED UP.

  ESPN @espn

  Draymond Green was ejected for this flagrant 2 foul.

  Javale PIERRE 3Xs McGee @JaValeMcGee

  Todays league: flagrant 2… BACK IN THE DAY: common foul!

  Denver📈 @doubledworth

  You know how bad a call has to be for nba twitter to collectively agree that dryamond is innocent LMFAOOOOO

  Ben Golliver @BenGolliver

  Warriors react to Draymond Green’s ejection from Game 1 vs. Grizzlies for Flagrant Foul 2

Steph and Klay can’t shoot?

• The Splash Bros would combine to shoot 35% from the field, with Klay Thompson missing two crucial free throws (!) in the final seconds and Stephen Curry missing a WIIIIDE open dagger attempt.

(Btw Curry was 1-of-5 from the field in the fourth quarter).

END OF HARROWING CONDITIONS LIST (for time’s sake)

…Yeah I would not have felt good about placing any bet on the Dubs if I had foreknown all of those issues. AND YET HERE THEY STAND WITH A 1-0 LEAD BABY!

Memphis has been on my radar as the team I was most concerned about in the West because they have a young superstar in the making in Morant surrounded by athletic hoopers who throw their bodies around like bowling balls. Morant turbos to the lane and can score over multiple defenders, or he can kick to a wide open Grizz player, and if they miss then they all dive into the paint like crash test dummies to secure the rebound. Rinse, wash, repeat.

This is EXACTLY the type of team that has made Dub Nation nervous about not having another big man on the roster to hold down the paint. No James Wiseman, no Draymond Green, and no fantasy center from the waiver wire or trade scrap heap that Warriors fans demanded over the season. And yet the Warriors actually outscored Memphis in points in the paint 56-44 AND outrebounded them 51-47!

sam samolians @SamoliansSam

Andrew Wiggins 17 points, 8 rebounds (2-2 on FTA with 3 mins left... Tying dunk with 2 min left in the game) 3rd time Wiggs had 8+ rebounds in the playoffs.. . Wiggs had 8+ rebounds just six times in 73 games during the regular season. Wiggs leads GSW in playoff rebounding.

Fast Break @GSWFastBreak

What’s Memphis’ plan for when JJJ doesn’t hit 6 threes and score 33 points? Griz shot 40% from behind the arc and still lost. The more you look at the details, the worse this loss seems.

The Dubs out toughed the grittiest-and-grindiest team in the West with a team effort. Also, Jordan Poole went berserk:

NBA @NBA

Jordan Poole was BALLING in Game 1 🏀 He set a playoff career-high in points (31) in the @warriors Game 1 victory to open the series 1-0! #DubNation Game 2: WARRIORS/GRIZZLIES Tue. 9:30pm/et on TNT

Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. @DrNiravPandya

Jordan Poole >>> Ja Morant.

stan verrett @stanverrett

You gotta respect the warriors team culture. The hall of famers on their team recognize how Poole helps them. No jealousy, no egos. They encourage him to shine. Says a lot about the character of the guys involved.

Steve Berman @BASportsGuy

The Warriors got a lot of grief for their late first-rounders because Jacob Evans didn't pan out. But Looney at No. 30 and Poole at No. 28 were huge picks. And Damian Jones (30) is a serviceable center now.

And here’s the Splash Bros taking turns putting shackles on Morant with the game on the line as Gary Payton II assisted:

COCAINE WEEKND @alaaaaanF87

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Steph Curry screaming at the Warriors bench after that steal on Ja Morant in crunch time: "Locked that shit up, boy. I locked that shit up."

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

Incredible finish to Game 1 🤯

MAN! What a win. What a testament to the resilience of this team. After all the injuries and roster turmoil, it’s great to have a basketball team you can always believe in to find a way to get the job done. And how does a young team like Memphis respond to this jarring defeat on their homecourt in front of their adoring fans? The bullies got bullied…despite the refs taking Draymond off the court!

Golden State Warriors @warriors

oh my GOODNESS 📺 #NBAonABC

Chris Montano @gswchris

draymond is HYPED lol

chan0.eth @chanodesigns

You can hear... Klay in the backgroudn saying Bitch ass Memphis 🤣🤣🤣