Why the Grizzlies and Warriors should both bounce back in first round of NBA Playoffs

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A Game 1 loss doesn’t define an NBA Playoff series.

It’s going down. The 2023 NBA Playoffs are under way, and some teams are feeling better about their prospects than others.

For two squads linked by fairly real bad blood and a possible continuation of their “dispute” in the second round, this is especially true.

In Memphis, the Grizzlies are wounded in more ways than one. Their pride took a hit at the hands of a Los Angeles Lakers team that ran away from them in the second half, and another injury has been added to the list that already includes Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke with Ja Morant “in question” for Wednesday’s Game 2.

The Golden State Warriors, for all their legend, ran into a buzzsaw late in Sacramento against a Kings team that was hungry not just for belonging, but for winning. De’Aaron Fox was the embodiment of that hunger – and he added a chapter to his own story. The beam was lit – and it was glorious.

Of course, the two situations are slightly different. Memphis is the No. 2 seed and has lost home court. Golden State was always hoping for just one win out of two in Sacramento. Still, both teams as of now are closer to elimination than series victory.

But for fan bases of the Grizzlies and Warriors, there is reason for optimism. It is just one game, of course, and while statistics say that one of these two squads with title aspirations will be heading home after the first round, the reason they play the games is because anything is possible.

Here are some happy thoughts for you to get through until their respective Game 2s.

Rui Hachimura won’t do that again against the Grizzlies

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No, Lakers fans, this will not be a space where Austin Reaves will be disrespected. He has shown, time and again, he is capable of being a productive piece alongside the very good LeBron James and dominant Anthony Davis – at least of late. 19 points per game on average over his last 15 contests backs that up – Reaves’ 23 points against Memphis was no fluke (his dominance in the 4th quarter was a bit much, though).

Rui Hachimura scoring 29? Including 5-for-6 shooting from three? That’s not happening again.

Rui’s 83.3 percent three point marksmanship was a season, and career, high on six shot attempts. While Hachimura has scored around 29 points several times this season, it’s never been in the way he did it against the Grizzlies. He is a skilled midrange scorer and can finish at the rim – but he’s not a three point marksman.

While the Lakers had other meaningful producers, none of them were wildly removed from their season averages. Or even their last 15 game averages. Only Rui – who in about 20 minutes played across the final 15 contests of the regular season scored nine points per game – played outside his means.

And as Desmond Bane pointed out after the game, it was part of the plan. It just didn’t work in Game 1.

Hachimura is a career 34.7 percent three point shooter. He shot 29.6 percent from range for the Lakers this season heading in to the playoffs. And Rui’s success clearly impacted other aspects of the Grizzlies defense. They were forced to account for Hachimura and unable to adapt well enough to get out on his hot shooting. And with his rhythm, Rui shot well above his average from the field (11-14) overall as well – he hurt Memphis not just from three. His confidence flowed in to his game inside the three point line and the Lakers also fed off of that.

Again, Austin Reaves likely won’t shoot 8-for-13 either while owning the final frame. But that showing is more likely than what Rui did. And while LeBron James and Anthony Davis are who they are for a reason, Jaren Jackson Jr. showed throughout the contest his ability to dominate at the rim will be a continuous problem for the Lakers. L.A. will surely make adjustments – double teams, different coverages. But so will Memphis – especially on Austin Reaves in the 4th quarter.

Rui Hachimura? As Bane alluded to, for better or worse, not so much. But statistically and historically, it’s a safe bet it’ll go better in that specific area for the Grizzlies on Wednesday. And between that and the continued athletic advantage Memphis boasts – even if Ja Morant sits out Game 2 due to a hand injury – Memphis should be excited about the prospects of a split heading to L.A.

The improving Andrew Wiggins will help the Warriors

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Andrew Wiggins has had a long layoff from basketball dealing with a personal issue. The last regular season action he saw was on February 13th against the Washington Wizards. He posted a 29 point, 7 rebound, 4 assist line in a Warriors win.

Golden State didn’t see Wiggins on the floor again until Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings, who had not played in the postseason in 16 years before Saturday night’s showdown. And it was epic – a spectacular showing of basketball, especially guard play. De’Aaron Fox had a coming out party on the national stage. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were their Splash Brothers selves.

And Wiggins – at worst the Warriors’ 4th option – scored 17 points in 16 shots, only making one three pointer in 28 minutes of play.

In fact, he missed this shot that would have given Golden State the lead late.

Wiggins, before his prolonged absence, was shooting 36% from the corner and 40% overall from beyond the arc per Cleaning the Glass. He’s a former All-Star, and helped the Warriors win their most recent title this past season with their two-way play.

Golden State probably makes that shot with Wiggins in February. But life is bigger than basketball. And Wiggins has to know off some rust.

The good news for Golden State entering Game 2 on Monday night is that Wiggins should be another step closer to comfort. Knocking off the rust is hard enough to do in the regular season. The atmosphere and energy in Sacramento was phenomenal on Saturday night, and likely will be this evening too. But Wiggins, while he may not get to that All-Star level because of his absence, should be more efficient moving forward.

And he definitely will be more confident if the ball is in the corner in his hands again after another game of live reps.

Memphis and Golden State share a rivalry – even if Draymond Green doesn’t want to admit it. But they also share the fact that as of this moment, they’re both down 1-0 to their respective first round opponents. The Grizzlies are staring down two Hall of Famers and a stronger supporting cast than they had just three months ago. The Warriors are entering the proverbial belly of the beam beast, a Sacramento team that doesn’t know better – and it is help them right now.

But in both opening contests, there were things that happened that are unlikely to occur again. Between those heatings up and coolings down and other adjustments, both Golden State and Memphis are able to head in the the next location for their series with a split.

It’s not ideal – especially for the Grizzlies, who will need a win in L.A. now to earn back home court advantage with larger injury concerns than they wanted to deal with. But hope still remains.

And when times are tough, some times hope is all you have.