Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies Second Round Preview

Prediction

Apr 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates with guard Andre Iguodala (9) and forward David Lee (10) as a timeout is called after Thompson scored a three point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Will speed or physicality prevail? Some believe that jump shooting teams (in this case, the Warriors) and teams that don’t have much scoring punch from their bigs (again, the Warriors) can’t win in the playoffs and ultimately can’t win a championship. This will not be true in this series.

It became apparent in the final two games of their regular season meetings that the Warriors could force the Grizzlies to play at their pace and, ultimately, prevail. Once the Warriors were able to control the tempo of the game, the Grizzlies didn’t stand a chance, and the Warriors built up big leads. This will be the same scenario in the playoffs.

The Grizzlies have enough talent and grit to win a couple games in Memphis, but that won’t lead them to win the series.

The biggest key for the Warriors is to force the Grizzlies to play Warriors basketball. That’s a key in every series, but especially against a team that plays such a contrasting style, like the Grizzlies do, the pace of the game will become that much more important.

In addition, with the way the Warriors’ home crowds have been energizing the team throughout the regular season and in the playoffs, it’s doubtful that the Grizzlies will be able to play their style of basketball and pull off a win at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies have enough talent and grit to win a couple games in Memphis, but that won’t lead them to win the series.

Prediction: Warriors in six

Next: Warriors Second Round Mailbag: Rest, Rotation, Speights