With the Grizzlies beating the Timberwolves in the first round, the Warriors' second-round opponent has also been determined, that is, the Grizzlies, and the two teams will play a series in the semifinals. Judging from the regular season record, the Warriors are at a disadvantage, and in their 4 meetings with the Grizzlies, the team only achieved 1 win and 3 losses, and the record did not occupy the advantage. And it is worth mentioning that last season's playoffs, the Warriors lost to the Grizzlies in the last playoff, and finally did not qualify for the playoffs, it can be said that the Grizzlies are the warriors' bitter lords, the team in the recent encounter with the Grizzlies, the record wins less and loses more, the performance is not ideal.
In this series, the Warriors' three guards will encounter a great test, in the first round and the Nuggets series, Curry, Klay and Poole, although they can average 72 points per game, while shooting 11.2 three-pointers on the outside line, the performance is very strong, but the Nuggets' guard line is not strong, only Rivers, Morris and Hyland and other players, they are not defensively based backcourt players, the three guards did not encounter too much defensive pressure in the first round, played very easily.
Compared with the Nuggets, the Grizzlies have a stronger backcourt strength, the team's guard line has Bain, Dillon Brooks, Jones and Melton and other players, these players are very defensive, especially Dillon Brooks and Bane, they are the kind of players who have a sense of defense, defensive habits are very good, and they will work hard to defend throughout the game, and the defensive attitude is very positive. In last season's play-offs, Dillon Brooks limited Curry's play to some extent. When the three defenders face these defensive players, it is still very difficult to play like the first round.
Cole was also going to change when facing a new squad and opponents, and the team's three-back effect was very good in the first round, so Kerr insisted that Curry, Poole and Klay play at the same time. At this stage, facing the strong defensive Grizzlies, the team needs to reuse Looney, increase the team's interior height and ability to scramble for rebounds. In addition, Kerr also needs to reuse one player, that is, Payton Jr.
The Grizzlies have a very impactful guard like Morant in the lineup, and when facing the Warriors in the regular season, Morant always has a very good performance, shining in the game. And Payton Jr. is a player who focuses on defense, in the first round of the series, he performed very well on the defensive end, his defense was better than Klay, Curry and Poole, and in the semifinals with the Grizzlies, Kerr needed to reuse Payton Jr. to let him play an important role in the game to limit Morant's play.
Of course, in addition to Payton Jr., Kerr still needs to increase Wiggins' ball, because in this series, the three guards will definitely have a hard time getting the same shot opportunities as in the first round, and they may encounter a more severe bag. Wiggins is the Warriors' most individual scoring ability besides the three guards, and when the three guards do not have the shooting feel, Wiggins needs to play the opportunity to end the offense. Kerr should properly assign more offensive tactics to Wiggins so that the team's attack will be more fluid.
For the Warriors, facing the Grizzlies in the second round, it is not easy to play, and it is still difficult to advance to the next round. But they also have an advantage, that is, a wealth of playoff experience and championship heritage, compared to the Grizzlies, the Warriors are more experienced in the playoffs, in recent years, they have won a lot of championships, know how to play in the playoffs to play brilliantly. Against the young Grizzlies, the Warriors are expected to win the series with their rich playoff experience.