Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Toughest Potential Matchup, Game 3, Conley
May 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Warriors 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton how do we shut down Conley?
— Brian Blake (@BrianOBlake) May 7, 2015
Conley is the Grizzlies’ x-factor. Without him, the Grizzlies are much more vulnerable, and with him, they can become tough to beat. Conley is so crucial to their success, because he impacts the game in so many ways.
He sets up his teammates on offense, he knocks down threes, he has good shot selection, and he plays stellar on-ball defense. He’s tough to stop, because he holds the key to the Grizzlies’ offense, and his defense can shut down an opposing team’s point guard on any given night.
The Warriors can try a number of strategies to stop him, including, for example, having Klay Thompson or Andre Iguodala guard him more (not because Curry is a poor defender, but because Thompson’s and Iguodala’s length could possibly disrupt the smaller Conley).
However, the best way for the Warriors to truly stop Conley, prevent him from making a big impact on the game as he did in Game Two, and shut down the Grizzlies is to ensure the game is played at their pace. The Warriors need to get into transition, play up-tempo basketball, and the Splash Brothers need to knock down threes, as discussed earlier.
If the Warriors play their style of basketball, Conley will become less influential, and the Grizzlies will struggle to keep up. Conley might be able to keep the Grizzlies in the game with his high basketball IQ and his ability to set up his teammates, but the Warriors should be able to overcome that if they play at their own pace.