The Warriors and Grizzlies were atop the Western Conference for a good amount of time, but Memphis struggled down the stretch and injuries have also been a problem. The point guard battle between Steph Curry and Mike Conley might not happen until Game 3, so which matchup will be the one to watch this series?
-== 5 Reasons Why the Warriors Will Beat the Grizzlies ==-
Our writers here at Warriors World have submitted their predictions, tell us what you think and comment at the bottom of the page:
Danny Leroux
Andrew Bogut vs. Marc Gasol. The Spaniard was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last season but failed to replicate that dominance this year. However, Gasol still has that capability and the skill to put Andrew Bogut in foul trouble. Both Centers need to play well for their team to have a chance but Bogut has a substantially larger margin for error.
Dec 16, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) attempts a shot defended by Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen (9) during the first half at FedExForum. Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Sheed Malek
Klay Thompson v Tony Allen. Allen is arguably one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and he gets the task of chasing Klay around all game. Klay has had success vs Memphis this season and will look to continue that hot streak in the playoffs.
Alex Torres
The battle between two Spartans will be very fun to watch. Draymond Green and Zach Randolph will be battling down low all series long. While they respect each other, both will be talking trash, so that will be an interesting thing to look out for. It’s going to be a physical game, hopefully the refs let them play.
Yama Hazheer
Tony Allen vs. the Warriors backcourt. Allen is considered the best perimeter defender in the league by many and he has a challenging task ahead of himself in this series against Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. He will be matched up against both guards and switched during the series based on the early results. Without Conley, the team loses the one player that is Curry’s size and that could somewhat keep up with his speed. The Grizzlies will have to pick their poison against the best backcourt in the league and it will be interesting to see what they decide to do during games. This will also be a huge test for Curry and Thompson. It’s going to be much harder to score on Allen than it was on Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, and Quincy Pondexter. They will be up for the challenge.