'We gonna have some fun': Ja Morant has the final word as Grizzlies take Game 2
Published: May 3, 2022 US time
Publisher: the Athletic
Article author: Fred Katz
Article translated by de Gaulle
The second game of the Grizzlies and Warriors series is only 30.7 seconds away from the end of the game, and the difference between the two sides is only 1 point. In this crucial round, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant dribbled into the Warriors' hinterland and faced the defenses of Wiggins and Thompson, with barely seeing the basket, with a throw, and sent the ball into the basket. After scoring that goal, the Grizzlies extended their lead to three points, which laid the foundation for their eventual victory.
It was the second consecutive game between the two teams to play until the last minute. In the first game of the series, also at the home of Memphis, Thompson hit a key three-pointer, and Morant's key layup was interfered with, which made the Grizzlies out of the first game of the series. However, in the second game, the young Grizzlies and Morant immediately made adjustments and showed very good results.
After the game, the players on both sides walked toward their benches, with Curry, 34, passing by Morant, 22. At this moment, Morant suddenly opened his mouth and "shouted" at Curry, who was beside him. Even though Curry was already behind him, Morant turned his head and continued to say something. The core guards of the two respective teams presented the gunpowder of the playoffs at this moment.
The reason why Morant did this is also to some extent a "counterattack" against Curry. Because in the first game of the series, Curry had communicated with Morant on the court. In the first game, Curry told him and teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., "It's going to be a battle and we're all going to have fun, according to Morante. ”
With Curry's personality and his current achievements in the league, such a statement, if placed in ordinary times, or in other unrelated people, may be an encouragement to the Grizzlies' younger descendants. However, Morant and Curry can now be said to be "fighting each other" on the court, and Morant is not satisfied with his first game, and his father also criticized his performance in harsh language after that game. So, although Morant also said that Curry's words were "friendly words", he still could not do it without mind.
Therefore, in the second game of the series with the Warriors, In addition to helping the team avoid falling into the dilemma of falling behind 0-2, Morant must also fight for himself in the head-to-head duel with Curry. So, in such a game of interlocking teeth, Morant really carried the Grizzlies on his shoulders. Throughout the game, Morant alone had 47 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Morant also became the third player to score more than 45+ in the playoffs when he was under 23 years old, after Kobe And James.
Moreover, in the most critical fourth quarter, Morant alone scored 18 points — the Grizzlies' final 15 points were all handled by Morant. In this way, Morant led the Grizzlies to a 106-101 victory and presented the scene where he "shouted" at Curry.
"We'll all have fun," Morant said, returning what Curry had said to him a few days earlier. Although such words and actions are full of gunpowder, Morant said that he did not do so in a disrespectful way to Curry. The Grizzlies guard then said, "Playing against guys like him (Curry), it's definitely my personal favorite duel, he has unparalleled talent. ”
Before the warriors and Grizzlies start this series, it seems that there are more people who are optimistic about the Warriors. After all, in this team that has won 4 years and 3 championships, in addition to Curry, there are many players with both experience and strength, plus several young people who are rising rapidly, and the Warriors this season have a great potential to make a comeback. In the first game of the series, they opened the record on the road to Memphis, and while winning the opening, they also stole the home advantage of the series.
The Grizzlies, on the other hand, waited for more bad news in Game 2 after losing the first game of the series.
First up is the team's number two scorer, Desmond Bain, a second-year guard who has scored just 14 points in both games against the Warriors, a far cry from his regular-season average of 18.2 points per game. The reason for this phenomenon is not only the tense atmosphere in the playoffs, but also the injury to Bane's waist. In the second game against the Warriors, Bane did not hit his first athletic goal until the second half, and he scored only five points on 2-of-7 shooting, leaving the Grizzlies to lose an important point of firepower on the offensive end.
Second, another of the Grizzlies' offense, Dillon Brooks, played just 172 seconds in the second game of the Warriors series, and was directly expelled for a serious foul on the Warriors' Gary Payton II during a chase. Payton has now been diagnosed with an elbow fracture, and Brooks is likely to receive an additional ban.
Also, the Grizzlies' interior big player, Jarren Jackson Jr., similar to the first round of the playoffs, was once again in foul trouble in his second game with the Warriors. In the end, 4 minutes before the end of the game, he received his sixth foul and left the game early. This is the sixth time in Jackson's eight playoff games this year that his personal playing time has been affected by foul trouble, and the third time he has left the field early because of a full foul.
So looking at it this way, of the top four players in the Grizzlies' regular season scoring list this season, only Morant is still operating as usual. This statement is actually inaccurate, because Morant also encountered an unexpected surprise attack in the second game with the Warriors. During a rebounding round near the end of the third quarter, Morant was hit in the left eye. In addition to the visibly visible eyeball congestion, Morant said he completely lost "peripheral vision" in the final quarter of the game. "I can see what's right in the middle, and that's all," Morant said.
However, even when his teammates could not help and his eyesight was severely impaired, Morant still ushered in an outbreak in the final critical period. After Jaren Jackson Jr. was sent off, Morant helped the Grizzlies hold the home court in the final 4 minutes and 16 seconds of the game, shooting 5-of-7 from the athletic game, including 1-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, plus 4-of-4 free throws on the free throw line.
"I feel like this game is a game that must be won, both for our team and for me personally," Morant said after the game, "and I'm still grumpy about the layup I missed in the final moments of Game One." ”
The real strong are not not going to fail, but they can learn from their failures and then make themselves stronger. Morant, who played the warriors' first two games, was like that. Grizzlies center Tillman said of Morant: "I feel like I've seen him become a true finisher. In the past, he still had the feeling that he would hit shots that were empty. But now, he's giving the impression: By the last three minutes of the game? Leave it to me, you can rest assured. In this way, he is really very difficult to defend and block. ”
But for Morant and the Grizzlies, the first win in the series is just the beginning. For the next two games, they'll head to one of the league's most famous "devil's home" spots, the Chase Center. Bain's injury is unclear, Brooks' suspension may continue, and Jackson Jr.'s foul is worrying, so the Grizzlies seem to be the only one they can rely on.
And, the Grizzlies are wary of the Warriors returning home. "Splash Brothers" Curry and Thompson in the second game of the series, the cumulative three-point shooting only 23 shots 5, the Warriors team only 38 shots 7. After returning home, if the Warriors find their three-point feeling, how will Morant and the Grizzlies play against each other?
However, at least in the second game of the series, Morant is the most shining star. Like the scene where he "shouted" at Curry after the game, the young man was really enjoying the intense confrontation in the playoffs. "Yes," Morant said, "I really felt a lot of fun. ”