Well, it seems that plans are underway again for the coronation of the Golden State Warriors, an event that seemed inevitable two weeks ago, then looked impossible a week ago. Two consecutive wins and the return of the 3-pointer have calmed the faithful, to the point where again, it seems inconceivable that they could lose this series.
However, what if Tony Allen is healthy for Game 6? The Grizzlies are 2-1 in the series when they have both of their starting guards on the floor. In Game 1 Mike Conley was out, and the Warriors rolled, causing some blog writers to lose their minds. Conley was so effective in Game 2 that it was easy to overlook Allen, although it was actually the combination of the two that gave the Warriors’ guards so much trouble.
Allen doesn’t just prevent baskets. He prevents passes. He prevents people, especially Klay Thompson, from dribbling to certain spots on the floor. With Allen being limited by his hamstring (and the Warriors’ defensive matchups) to 16 minutes in Game 4, the Warriors were again able to easily get into their sets and run their offense.
Game 5 could have been completely different were it not for Allen’s absence. The Warriors looked like a tire fire for the first nine minutes, even without Allen on the floor. Down 15 points in the first quarter, they didn’t panic, got some stops, got back to running their offense, hit some threes, and they were fine.
I think that their success in Game 4 had a lot to do with how composed they remained in Game 5. They had just come off a big win in which they had gotten back to running their offense and making the extra pass, two tactics they had all but abandoned in the chaotic second and third periods of both Games 2 and 3.
Yet, what if it wasn’t just confidence that helped them keep their cool? What if it was the absence of the Grizzlies’ best defender, a guy who could make a trip to Baskin-Robbins uncomfortable? What if the Warriors remained calm because there was nobody in the passing lanes, harassing the dribblers, forcing them to take shots they really didn’t want to take?
We’ll never know, obviously, and depending on Allen’s health in Game 6, we might not see the Conley-Allen combo at full strength again in these playoffs. I just think it bears noticing that the Warriors’ best moments in this series have come when Allen was either off the floor or having to cover for Conley, and that if he IS healthy Friday night, this series is far from over.
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Other thoughts from Game 5:
It is a little frightening to think about how many points the Warriors could have scored in the first quarter if they played even reasonably well in the first nine minutes. They scored only 10 points in the first 8:50 of the period, and still finished with 26. Likewise, they kind of toyed with Memphis in the fourth quarter, scoring only 6 points in the last 6:31. That adds up to 16 points in 15 minutes of basketball, which is pretty terrible. The other 33 minutes were good enough to make those 15 minutes less of a talking point; however, they certainly shouldn’t exclude those 15 minutes from the discussion.
I have enjoyed Steve Kerr’s postgame press conferences all season long. The first one I heard was after the Warriors’ loss to San Antonio in the sixth game of the season, and there was just something different about it. I realized later that he was talking like a color commentator, not like a coach, and he was actually saying meaningful things about the game, the players, and the strategy!
I thought I was the only one who noticed, but during the New Orleans series I heard John Madden, who still does a daily radio interview here in the Bay Area, say, “You know, I really like that Steve Kerr. Every time I hear Steve Kerr talk after a game, I learn something!”
I don’t know if Kerr will evolve out of that the longer he’s in coaching, but for now, it’s very enjoyable. If you’d like to hear the full press conferences, they’re available: Here you’ll find the pressers, along with postgame sound from all the players and interviews on local radio stations.
There still hasn’t been a particularly close game in this series. The closest the trailing team has been in the last few minutes of the game was the Warriors being down by five in Game 4. Despite this, the series has been very exciting and suspenseful, much more than Warrior fans expected and hoped for.
After an understandably feeble performance on Wednesday, Memphis could make this series even more suspenseful by forcing a Game 7. Tony Allen is the player we’ll be watching more than any other on Friday night in Game 6.
