Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Game 6 Grades and Analysis
| Stephen Curry | A+ |
| Klay Thompson | A- |
| Harrison Barnes | B |
| Draymond Green | B+ |
| Andre Iguodala | B |
| Shaun Livingston | B+ |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| Mike Conley | C |
| Vince Carter | B+ |
| Zach Randolph | C+ |
| Marc Gasol | A- |
| Jeff Green | C+ |
| Courtney Lee | C+ |
| Rest of Team | C |
When Stephen Curry plays like the NBA's MVP, there's little that can stop the Golden State Warriors. It happened on Friday in Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and Steve Kerr's squad is moving on to the Western Conference Finals after a 108-95 win on the road.
Curry finished with a game-high 32 points and 10 assists, sinking eight three-pointers and adding a few plays to his never-ending personal highlight reel. Klay Thompson added 20 and three other Warriors finished in double-digits in the series-clinching victory.
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Mike Conley and Zach Randolph couldn't get much going for the Grizzlies offensively, leaving Marc Gasol to do most of the work on his own. Tony Allen was unable to play more than five minutes after starting the game, and without its core contributors, the Grizzlies were sent packing.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry: A+
From the very beginning, it was easy to tell that this was headed toward being one of those Stephen Curry nights. He sank three triples in the first quarter, made five of his first 10 field goals, and finished with a game-high 32 points on 25 shots over 38 minutes, sinking eight three-pointers—double the Grizzlies' total as a team.
He was an active playmaker, dishing 10 assists, and was constantly in passing lanes, disrupting a number of Memphis plays despite being credited with no steals in the box score.
As he's prone to do, Curry made the nightly Vine highlight reel in the first half, sending his defender crumbling to the ground while the MVP swooped away for the score.
To end the third quarter, he landed one of the wildest shots of this postseason, after the Warriors wrestled the ball away for one last heave. Curry flicked it in the air, and it fell, giving Golden State an eight-point cushion entering the final period.
Klay Thompson: A-
When Curry wasn't available to score, Klay Thompson was often the beneficiary, outscoring his point guard in the first half, and ending up with 20 points on Friday.
It was relatively easy to tell how this night was going to go for the Splash Brothers, with Curry quickly sinking the game's first bucket on a pull-up jumper and Thompson answering back with a quick-release three on the following possession.
More than just spotting up, Thompson benefitted from a few key passes along the inside, and curled around screens to find open mid-range looks. Along the perimeter, he made the extra pass just as often as he received it—part of why Golden State's offense has been so effective all year.
Harrison Barnes: B
Continuing his encouraging postseason, Harrison Barnes was a positive for the Dubs in Game 6. He was one of the five Golden State starters to score in the game's first five minutes, finishing with 13 points over his 36 minutes.
He's shouldered a bit more of the load this series than in the regular season, and while he's not option one or two for Steve Kerr, the team has benefitted from Barnes knocking down looks when the ball finds him. He made the extra pass a handful of times throughout Game 6, coming away with three assists, while also grabbing five rebounds and blocking a shot.
Draymond Green: B+
Draymond Green was impactful all over the floor over his first 26 minutes—when he was whistled for his fourth foul late in the third quarter. To that point, he'd contributed 11 points, 10 boards, two assists, a steal and a block. He didn't return until midway through the fourth quarter, ending with 16 points and 12 boards.
Defensively, often on Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, Green helped lessen the blow of Memphis' few offensive forces.
He got off to a slow start from the field, but Andre Iguodala found his shooting rhythm just in time to help extend the Warriors' lead to double figures near the end of the third and early fourth.
After missing his first two attempts from three, Iguodala made three straight, ending up with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, while contributing his usual active defending at multiple positions. He stopped Jeff Green on that crucial last-second shot in the third quarter that led to Stephen Curry's prayer buzzer-beater to swing the momentum in Golden State's favor.
Shaun Livingston: B+
When Stephen Curry was off the floor, Shaun Livingston provided the Warriors with every bit of help they needed to stay out in front. Defensively, he single-handedly stopped two or three Grizzlies possessions, and he made four of his six shots, going for 10 points over 19 minutes.
Rest of Team: B+
David Lee played a handful of minutes, ending with 14, but shot just 1-of-3 for two points and five rebounds. Andrew Bogut played well over his 23 minutes, anchoring the Dubs' paint and making a nice touch pass to Klay Thompson early for an important three. He concluded the night with four points, three rebounds, two assists and three blocks.
Festus Ezeli and Leandro Barbosa came on for spot minutes in the second half. Ezeli threw down a thunderous slam on his only attempt.
Memphis Grizzlies
Mike Conley: C
Clearly struggling with injuries all over his body, Mike Conley didn't do enough for Memphis to force a Game 7. He shot just 3-of-13, missing all six of his three attempts, though he did dish out nine assists.
As one of the Grizzlies' lone playmakers in the backcourt, the team really struggles to score when Conley can't get anything going. He turned away an open three-pointer in the third quarter when Memphis was close to taking the lead, and threw up an air ball from three in another big spot in the previous quarter.
He made some nice plays in the pick-and-roll with Marc Gasol, but it was hard for Conley to get comfortable, visibly favoring the masked area on his face at one point on the bench.
Vince Carter: B+
For one of the first times this postseason, Vince Carter provided Memphis with quality minutes—particularly in the second half, when Tony Allen wasn't able to step on the floor.
In the first half, he was a catalyst for the reserve unit that was more effective than Memphis' starters. He filled in on the crunch-time lineup in the final period, making a number of hustle plays and getting to the foul line as the Grizz tried to chip into their double-digit deficit. He finished up with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and very nearly threw down an old-school Vinsanity slam in the first half—it didn't go down, but he earned a trip to the line.
Zach Randolph: C+
Bothered by Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut all night, and with no consistent jump shot working, Zach Randolph struggled to put together much offense on Friday. He shot 5-of-14 on the night, going for 15 points over his 32 minutes.
He made a few decent passes throughout the course of the game, but those assist opportunities were often blown by misses on shots from point-blank range from Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. He came away with a steal, but only grabbed six rebounds, as Memphis lost the rebound battle, 47-43.
Marc Gasol: B+
It was a struggle, but Marc Gasol was able to leave Game 6 with 21 points against tough defensive matchups with Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green.
He shot just 7-of-23, but landed seven of his 10 free throws and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Without Gasol, Memphis wouldn't have come close to competing the way it did in this elimination game. He contributed four assists and five blocks and kept the Grizzlies in it most of the way. But the focus for the center now shifts to free agency, where several teams will presumably throw maximum money his way.
Jeff Green: C+
Much was needed from Jeff Green in this pivotal Game 6, but the sixth man wasn't able to provide much help. On eight shots over his 31 minutes, Green scores just six points, missing both of his three-point attempts. He did grab seven rebounds.
Courtney Lee: C+
It was an inefficient night for Courtney Lee, but he did drill a couple of key shots while Memphis was trying to diminish the Warriors' double-digit lead. He finished with 12 points on 12 shots, nailing two threes.
Rest of Team: C
Tony Allen started the game but was forced out after just five minutes of clear ineffectiveness. He scored two points and missed two other wide-open shots. Beno Udrih landed two of his trademark running mid-range Js, but missed his four other shots over eight minutes.
Kosta Koufos played just 14 minutes but scored eight points on four-of-five shooting, grabbing eight boards. His size impacted a number of Warriors shots from in close.
Up Next
The Warriors advance to their first Western Conference Finals since 1976, where either the Los Angeles Clippers of Houston Rockets loom as the final roadblock to the NBA Finals. It's yet another remarkable milestone for this Dubs team, under first-year coach Steve Kerr, in this franchise-best season in several regards.
After another mid-round playoff exit, the Grizzlies have several questions to answer this summer. Marc Gasol's free agency is clearly the first priority, but after six seasons of pairing two traditional big men at the 4 and 5 positions, and few tangible results in the postseason, management may consider shaking up the nucleus moving forward. Without question, in today's league, Memphis is in dire need of three-point shooting, and will likely look to beef up that department in the offseason.
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