SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors are punishing themselves with turnovers, a combined 36 in Games 1 and 2, giving Memphis 41 points.
They’re hurting themselves with 3-point shooting, 27.6 percent through the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals.
They’re committing more fouls, snagging fewer steals and recording fewer blocks.
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And yet, the series is even at 1-1 going into Game 3 on Saturday at Chase Center.
That’s because rebounding, one of the Warriors’ biggest worries, has been their most reliable asset. The Grizzlies, who are bouncy and plucky and young -- they led the NBA in overall and offensive rebounding in the regular season -- are being outrebounded 52-47 per game.
“It’s attention to detail, and our guys really understanding the importance of it,” coach Steve Kerr said Thursday. “It’s a lot harder in the regular season to lock in and be so committed to something because you have so many games. But in the playoffs, you have the time to prepare. You have the awareness of what your opponent is good at and what you have to do to have a chance to win. Our guys are aware of all that.”
It has been a team-wide focus, with seven players averaging at least five rebounds in the first two games. Andrew Wiggins and Otto Porter Jr. are at the top, each averaging 8.5 per game, with Draymond Green averaging 7.0 and Stephen Curry 6.0.
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Porter has been downright terrific, averaging 14.0 rebounds per 36 minutes -- first among players on the eight teams still active in the postseason. The veteran reserve seems to embrace the role of throwing himself into the scrum under the basket.
“I grew up that way,” he said. “I like it. It just brings the best out of me.”
Kevon Looney, averaging 12.8 per 36 minutes off the bench, also seems to relish the blue-collar work ethic required to rebound effectively. He also acknowledges that the postseason demands a higher and more consistent level of focus.
“It’s a lot of game-plan discipline, a lot of boxing out,” he said. “(We) crash every time. Our guards have been doing a great job of coming back into the mix, getting all the long rebounds. Otto’s been great on the glass. Wiggs, Klay [Thompson], too. It’s a whole team effort.
“We’ve got to keep it up. They’re pretty relentless on the glass, so it can’t be just one guy that’s got to step up. It’s a whole team thing.”
It’s about to get more difficult for the Warriors. Memphis center Steven Adams, who missed the first two games due to COVID-related health and safety protocols, is cleared and will be available for Game 3.
Whether Adams starts and how much he plays will be dictated by several factors, including the pace of the game and the defensive needs of his team. The ground-bound big man played only 31 minutes in six games in the first-round series against Minnesota, largely because he couldn’t defend the outside shooting of Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Though Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t commit to Adams getting playing time in Game 3, he cited his playoff experience as a plus. Jenkins conceded after Game 2 that second-chance points are “hurting” the Grizzlies and that they need to “clean up” the rebounding.
Unaccustomed to seeing his team losing the battle on the glass, Jenkins almost certainly will give Adams a chance to rectify that -- even though it means giving the Warriors’ offense an opportunity to utilize more pick-and-roll to exploit his lack of quickness.
The key for the Warriors, no matter who is on the floor for the Grizzlies, is not letting their voracious rebounding slip.
“Just getting in the mix, putting bodies on them,” Porter said. “We’ve got to make sure that we play up to that level that they’re bringing. We’ve got to be able to hit first, and we’ve done that the first two games.”
If the Warriors maintain their rebounding edge over the remainder of the series, it’s a dramatic swing in their favor – likely pivotal if they also improve their 3-point shooting and reduce their turnovers.