Memphis Grizzlies Opposing Views: Golden State Warriors

We usually only write about the Memphis Grizzlies (we’re not the Beale Street Spurs after all). For the next month, we will also write about other teams around the league and how they match up with Memphis. Unfortunately, the Golden State Warriors are on that list.

Let’s say that you and twenty-nine others are competing in a 200 meter sprint. At the beginning of the race, everyone stays close together. By the end, there are only four people, including yourself, that have a real chance at first place. Now imagine it: You’ve trained hard for this race your entire life, and you’ve set yourself apart as one of the best. As you’re almost at the finish line, you can almost taste the bliss of victory….only to finish in second because the person who won had wings and could fly the entire time.

This is probably how the rest of the NBA feels after watching the Golden State Warriors last season.

With the arrival of the Warriors’ dynasty, the Western Conference has certainly reacted to challenge them. Perennial second-round exit leader Chris Paul joined James Harden and the Rockets. The Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Thunder for a bag of crackers and tootsie rolls. With the arrival of Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves will surely be a playoff contender as well.

However, despite everyone’s best efforts, it’s likely not going to be enough to topple the Warriors. They have more raw talent than any team in NBA history, and when they’re clicking, they’re generally unbeatable. There’s just not much parity when one team has four future Hall of Famers – two being former MVP’s – in their prime.

Just look at this starting lineup:

PG: Stephen Curry 

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Draymond Green

C:  Zaza Pachulia

How can the Grizzlies find ways to compete with a team this deep and talented?

Advantages for the Grizzlies

There’s one Gasol brother that the Golden State Warriors really can’t stop, and it’s not the one that looks like Mike Conley.

Marc Gasol is one of the few weapons in the NBA for which the Warriors don’t really have a counter. Zaza Pachulia can’t guard him on the perimeter or in the post (although I’m sure he’ll try to hurt him). Though he’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green, at 6’7″ 230 pounds, just isn’t big enough to consistently guard the 7’1″ Spaniard throughout a game. Javale McGee is certainly not the answer either.

Playing big against the Warriors has been successful over the last few seasons. The Marc Gasol-Zach Randolph tandem was successful against the Warriors last season, and it put them on the ropes in the 2015 playoff series.

Even though Z-Bo is no longer here, the Grizzlies need to run everything on offense through Gasol when he’s on the court. He has to be “Aggressive Marc” at all times when they play the Warriors.

Advantages for the Warriors

Pretty much everything else.

There are some other areas where the Grizzlies can find some success. Mike Conley can hold his own with Stephen Curry and any other point guard in the league. Tyreke Evans is a more dynamic and versatile offensive wing than anybody on the Warriors’ bench.

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However, the Warriors truly have advantages on top of their advantages at most positions. The Grizzlies are badly out-manned on the wing, as you can’t expect Ben McLemore and Chandler Parsons to match the production of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Furthermore, the Warriors also have shooting and versatility across their roster than the Grizzlies just can’t match.

We haven’t even gotten into the bench situation. For the Warriors, the rich become richer. They added Nick Young and Omri Casspi, two wings who are volume 3-point shooters, on minimum contracts. They also have one of the best backup point guards in the league in Shaun Livingston, while the Grizzlies still don’t know their backup point guard. In their front court, the Grizzlies still have plenty of unproven faces in Deyonta Davis, Jarell Martin, and Ivan Rabb. The Warriors, on the other hand, still have Andre Iguodala and David West to inflict pain on other second units.

If you want the Grizzlies to beat the Warriors in the playoffs next year, the sky doesn’t look blue for you.

A Puncher’s Chance?

The Memphis Grizzlies will most likely not beat the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs next year (what a prophet I am). The Warriors are simply too talented and deep, and they have too many matchup advantages. Even with a healthy Chandler Parsons, the Grizzlies simply don’t have the firepower to kill this type of beast.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

No team has a solid chance to take down the Warriors next season. If Lebron James at his peak can only take one game from them, you definitely can’t like anyone’s chances against them. This is simply the status quo of the NBA right now, and other teams will simply have to deal with it.

Next: Change is coming

However, the Memphis Grizzlies have pushed the Warriors in the past, and they can do it again next season. There aren’t many better duos in the NBA than Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, and they can elevate this team to any challenge. If Chandler Parsons is healthy and some of the young unknowns can become solid role players, the Grizzlies may just have a puncher’s chance.

And in an NBA ruled by our new Golden Overlords, a puncher’s chance will have to do.