Justin Ford, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Golden State Warriors were the best team in the NBA this season. Golden State went 67-15 during the regular season and had the league’s MVP in guard Stephen Curry.
This team seemed to have it all. The Warriors have great backcourt play, with Curry and Klay Thompson. They have strong inside play with Draymond Green, Marreese Speights and Harrison Barnes. They have clutch players who can hit big shots and defenders who can get a stop when it’s needed most.
But there is one thing that this team doesn’t have, and that’s a lot of playoff experience. Golden State was bounced by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Two years ago, Golden State lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals.
Their opponents in the conference semifinals, the Memphis Grizzlies, do have playoff experience. The Grizzlies lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round last season, but they were in the Western Conference finals in 2013, when they lost to the Spurs.
Despite having the league’s best record in 2015, the Warriors’ lack of a playoff run is proving that experience really does matter in the postseason. Golden State lost to Memphis 99-89 on Saturday night to fall into a 2-1 hole in the best-of-seven playoff series.
Game 4 is Monday night in Memphis, and the Grizzlies could take complete control of this series with a win in that game.
Golden State is clearly the more talented team in this series, but Memphis has shown that having experience in the playoffs can make a difference. It will be interesting to see how this series shakes out.
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
