Golden State Warriors: 5 Reasons To Resist Game 2 Panic
3. Mike Conley’s Return
Like our first reason to avoid panic, this one can’t really be summed up by statistics. But here are some pretty straightforward ones: so far in these playoffs, the Grizzlies are 4-0 with Conley on the floor (1-2 without him), their offense is averaging 102.3 points per game (92.3 PPG without him) and they have a shot at slowing down Curry.
After undergoing surgery to repair bones in his face, no one was sure when Conley would return, let alone how he would return. In Game 2, we got a very strong answer: 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Curry, in contrast, had 19 points while going 7-of-19 from the floor and 2-for-11 from downtown.
Really happy for Mike Conley. Terrific guy and a terrific player. Deserved to have a night like this.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 6, 2015
Curry’s struggles shouldn’t be completely attributed to Conley’s presence on the floor. Likewise, it’s hard to expect Conley to be that efficient from the field moving forward. That all bodes well for the Dubs. Conley’s inspiring return sparked the Grizz in Game 2, especially when he got off to such a hot start (nine points, 4-for-4 from the field).
But even with home-court advantage in the next two games, the Dubs’ backs are against the wall. All they need to do is win one game on the road to steal home-court advantage back and to be completely honest, I don’t see Conley making THAT much of a difference to swing the tide of this series.
Next: No. 2