Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Second Round Series
3. Let Klay Thompson Eat
The consistent source of doom for the Grizzlies in three meetings with the Golden State Warriors this season? The lesser Splash Brother, Klay Thompson. On Dec. 16, when Memphis beat the Andrew Bogut-less Dubs 105-98, Thompson put up 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting while knocking down four of his five three-pointers.
On Mar. 27, the Dubs decimated Memphis 107-84 thanks to 28 points from Thompson, who went 10-for-17 from the floor and 6-for-9 from downtown. And in their final meeting on Apr. 7, well, this happened:
Thompson dropped 42 points in that game, shooting an insane 15-for-20 from the field and 8-for-10 from downtown. Even though Memphis outscored Golden State 56-38 in points in the paint in that game, Thompson’s hot shooting in the second quarter trumped all.
Regular season matchups mean little come playoff time, and technically speaking, every team needs to worry about a Klay Thompson heat check after watching what he can do when he gets in the zone. But if C.J. McCollum was able to light up Memphis’ defense for 33 points from the shooting guard position, what’s Thompson going to do when given the same opportunity?
Probably means totally nothing, but Klay Thompson had 18 3s in 3 games against the Grizzlies this season
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) April 30, 2015
Some matchups are just more preferable for star players, and this is no different. If Thompson can get going early, the Dubs would be happy to ride his hot shooting to another quick series.
Next: No. 2