Golden State Warriors: 5 Lessons From Game 4

2. The Warriors Might Be The Warriors’ Toughest Opponent

Heading into the night, I said the winner of Game 4 would ultimately be the victor in this series. With this affair knotted up at 2-2 heading back to Oracle Arena, the only thing standing in the Golden State Warriors’ way is the Golden State Warriors.

I don’t mean this as disrespect to the Grizz. They’ve played valiantly and in Games 2 and 3, they took the Dubs out of their comfort zone. No matter what Curry or Thompson say, Allen was definitely inside their heads for a little while. The Warriors were rattled and had scored 90 and 89 points in consecutive playoff games after averaging 110 per game during the regular season.

But just because the Grizzlies were doing some things right doesn’t mean those were anything but lackluster performances from the Dubs; both statements can be true at the same time. Curry and Thompson weren’t making their shots, and a lot of their shots were ill advised. But the Splash Brothers are known for taking and making a high number of ill advised shots; it’s what they do.

The Warriors take quick shots. They take a ton of three-pointers. They make some risky passes. But that type of playing style that was so heavily criticized in Games 2 and 3 is exactly what helped them win 67 games during the regular season, not to mention the most important game of the year last night.

In Game 4, Curry reminded everyone why he was the league’s MVP. He torched Memphis for 33 points while shooting 11-for-22 from the floor and 4-for-9 from three-point range in a statement game. He even added in eight rebounds and five assists for good measure.

Thompson wasn’t quite as explosive, but he added 15 points and made three of his six three-pointers. Draymond Green came to life after a disappointing Game 3, chipping in 16 points (6-of-12 shooting), 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals — all while holding Marc Gasol to 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting.

As a team, the Dubs shot 14-for-33 from downtown (42.4 percent), finally blowing the lid off the rim from three-point range. Even being slightly out-rebounded and committing 21 turnovers didn’t stop this game from being a blowout, simply because their defense was elite and their offense finally looked comfortable again.

Simply put, when the Warriors come to play like they did last night with their backs against the wall, there is not a team in the league that can beat them.

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