After losing Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, the Memphis Grizzlies have bruised their way to two straight wins and a series lead. They've forced the Warriors out of their comfort zone and slowed down their stars -- NBA MVP Stephen Curry scored only 19 points in the Game 2 loss and had just 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting in Game 3 while Klay Thompson hasn't been much better, scoring just 13 and 19 points in the two losses. But perhaps most pressing for the Warriors is the play of Draymond Green.
The Grizzlies are grinding away at Draymond Green’s confidence
The Golden State Warriors’ emotional leader is struggling against the grind-it-out Memphis Grizzlies.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The team’s emotional leader has struggled against the gritty play of the Grizzlies. He was just 1-of-8 in Game 3 for six points and committed five turnovers. He forced it on the offensive end of the court and was flustered all night, especially on a crucial lane violation on a Curry free throw in the fourth quarter. But that wasn’t his biggest blunder of the night.
The Grizzlies had the ball leading 93-88 with less than 1:30 to play. With the shot clock winding down, Courtney Lee missed a three-point shot that would have ended it. Thompson grabbed the rebound and, as he fell to the ground, handed the ball off to Green. And the Warriors, who had been down by 19 in the fourth quarter, had a chance to make it a one-possession game.
Green pushed the ball up the court. Zach Randolph shadowed him defensively. Like a freight train, Green picked up speed. It became obvious he was going to take the ball coast to coast. It was especially apparent to Lee, who was guarding Curry on the wing. As Green drove pas the free-throw line, Lee stepped in to help and swiped at the ball and poked it free.
Mike Conley grabbed the loose ball in the lane and tossed it up to Tony Allen, who hit a tough layup in transition to give the Grizzlies a seven-point lead with 1:09 to play. Game over.
The Grizzlies won, 99-89, to take a 2-1 series lead over the regular season’s best team, a team many picked to win the NBA title.
Green plays with bravado, but something has been missing the last two games. The Grizzlies have found a way to shut down the fastest mouth in the West.
Green’s production is dropping
In the regular season, Green averaged 11.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He shot 44.3 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from three. His net rating was 16.5 and he finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Green stepped up his play in the first round against the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 15.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game on 47.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from deep with a net rating of 23.2.
Against the Grizzlies, however, Green is a shell of his old self. He’s averaging 12 points and 7.7 rebounds per game but can’t hit a shot for the life of him. He’s shooting 30 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from deep with a net rating of 7.9.
So why is Green struggling so much?
The Grizzlies are winning the psychological battle over Green
Since Conley returned to the court in Game 2, Green and the Warriors have looked out of sorts. Green has a reputation for not backing down from anyone, but the Grizzlies may have his kryptonite: fellow Michigan State Spartan Zach Randolph.
(h/t Dan Feldman)
You don't mess with Randolph. And as seen in the above video, Green knows that. We're used to seeing Green stick his tongue out at Blake Griffin, but against Randolph he's apologizing.
The Grizzlies are taking Green out of his game. His play has been tentative and at times jumpy. They are trying to get him into foul trouble, and it’s working. And because they’re also disrupting Curry and Thompson, Green’s lack of production is even more on display.
As he noted to reporters after the game, Green knows he’s forcing it.
“I think we’re in a hurry right now trying to play fast,” he said. “When we know we’re capable of playing fast without being in a hurry. We’ve just got to play with more poise.”
Fortunately for Green and the Warriors, it’s not too late to regain control of the series.
Can he turn it around?
It’s easy to look back at the turnover in the game’s final 1:30 and and say Green should have slowed down, that he should have tried to get the ball to Curry or Thompson, but even watching in real time, you wanted to jump onto the court and yell, “Slow down!”
But that was just one play -- even if it happened to come at the worst time. Green does need to continue to be aggressive. Someone on the Warriors needs to step up. If Green had gotten by Lee and Randolph on that play, he would have been a hero. Even though he’s not playing with the same bluster he’s capable of, Green has faith in himself. Despite an off night, Green still believed he could make that play. His confidence backfired on him, but for the Warriors to get back into this series, he’s going to need to have that confidence to make a big play.
Green still makes a difference when he’s on the court. Even when struggling, the Warriors are even worse with him on the bench. In the regular season, Golden State’s net rating with Green on the court was +16.5. It dropped to +2.5 with him on the bench. In the playoffs, when Green is on the court, the Warriors’ net rating is +7.9, but it drops to -20.9 when he’s off it.
The Warriors have to continue to work through Green. The Grizzlies are going to continue to grind it out, but for the Warriors to look like the 67-win team they were in the regular season, they’ll need Green to get out of his funk.
Green has the confidence to do so. Now, he needs to prove it on the court.
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