Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Wrapping Up The Series

3. Push The Pace

The Warriors were the top scoring fast break team in the NBA during the regular season and although the pace typically slows down in the playoffs, the Dubs will want to maximize their possessions by pushing the tempo whenever possible.

The Grizzlies want to slow things down and grind it out in a half-court game; the Warriors want to turn rebounds and turnovers into easy buckets. When they’re successful, it’s almost unfair for a team that has Steph Curry, since even ugly fast breaks like this one can result in the “easy bucket” of a pull-up three:

So far in this series, the Dubs are averaging 23.3 fast break points per game in wins, but that number drops to 20.5 per game in their two losses. Five games is a small sample size, and that doesn’t seem like that steep of a drop-off, but then you consider the Grizzlies’ side as well.

In Memphis’ two wins of the series, the Dubs have given up 16.5 opponent fast break points. In the Grizzlies’ three losses, they’ve been held to only 13.7 fast break points per game. That means in wins, the Warriors are averaging nearly 10 more fast break points. In losses, that wide margin drops to only four.

The Grizzlies don’t have enough offense to put points up on the board. Their only hope is to slow down the game and play games in the 80s and 90s, which, coincidentally enough, is what they did in their two victories of the series (97-90 in Game 2, 99-89 in Game 3). If the Warriors can get out and run at FedEx Forum, they will wrap this series up.

Next: No. 2