Ja Morant, just 22, has been incredible through the series’ first two games, but will he get more help on the offensive end (@JaMorant/Instagram)?

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With the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors tied through two games of an intense Western Conference semifinal series, we’re joined by Keith Parish, host of Grind City Media‘s Fastbreak Breakfast and Grits and Grinds podcasts, who provides insight from the Grizzlies’ perspective.

3:47-4:17: “These Ja Morant highlights, 140 million people saw them, and that’s by far the most of any NBA player. So he’s becoming an absolute superstar. What he did in Game 2 was a little bit different. … The Warriors are probably kicking themselves with the way they covered him. They didn’t seem to understand that he wants to drive left every time. They didn’t seem to understand that the Grizzlies were really, really short-handed and had not their normal closing lineup out there, but they didn’t force the ball out of his hands.”

12:32-14:11: “A healthy [Desmond] Bane I think could do incredibly against Klay Thompson. I’m not that confident in Klay Thompson’s ability to defend, and the Warriors keep playing these lineups where if [Jordan] Poole and Thompson are both out there, those are two things that the Grizzlies can attack if Bane is healthy. Bane in the regular season, over 18 points per game, the guy was second in the NBA in 3-point percentage and on pretty massive volume. Also, this entire year, Desmond Bane is incredible on the road. He shoots over 49% on 3-pointers on the road. If he’s healthy and we get the normal Desmond Bane, he’s this unbelievable weapon because when you start helping off of Ja, [Bane]’s just there and he’s such a deadeye shooter. … If he’s hurt like he was in the first two games, where he’s not a threat, he can’t even quickly load his shot like he normally does, [then] you can get away with having Klay Thompson check him. I know Klay Thompson is a historically great defender, but I haven’t seen the athleticism from him yet this season where I feel like this is the old Klay on defense, so I think that’s something the Grizzlies would hope to attack. But it’s the health [of Bane], and we don’t know. “

17:30-18:03: “I don’t think the Warriors showed incredible poise outside of a Klay Thompson shot in Game 1, and in Game 2 they looked especially frantic. And they’re also prone to turn the ball over, which is one of the matchups in the series that plays into the Grizzlies’ hands. Clearly I have a lot of fear and respect for Klay and for Steph in the clutch, but I don’t know how much overall that experience factor is gonna matter or decide the series. Of course, we could see Games 3 and 4, maybe the young Grizzlies come out shell-shocked in Golden State, but it’s not something I’m expecting.”

29:26-30:31: “We don’t expect the Warriors to shoot that poorly, like they did in Game 2, but some of it is a little bit calculated where Andrew Wiggins is being left alone to shoot; I know he has the ability to make shots, but it has felt like a pick-your-poison type thing, where they’re saying, ‘OK, you can shoot.’ Klay Thompson has been very poor on his 3-point shooting, but also Klay’s not really getting that many great looks. Klay took some horrible shots in Game 2 that were kinda like the old Splash Brothers from like seven years ago, heat-check things. I know he’s had big shooting performances in the last month, but those are shots absolutely the Grizzlies are happy to concede. Steph is the one you’re obviously terrified of at all times. He missed a ton of very makeable 3s, including one where Ja and Ziaire [Williams] got mixed up at the end of the fourth quarter and left him wide open. As far as Jordan Poole, he’s been a good huge problem and he’s gonna continue to be a problem for the Grizzlies. They just have to try to continue to contest him, not foul him and hopefully he doesn’t make too high of a number.”

For those interested, here’s Keith’s preseason appearance On the NBA Beat.

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Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod.