Nothing impacts identifying a face more than resolution. That didn’t stop them from finishing with the third-best record in the Western Conference during the regular season, or from making quick work of league MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, or jumping to a 3-1 series lead in the Western Confernce semifinals.Choosing the Right Resolution: Resolution Matters Most The Warriors’ lack of size - their tallest healthy players are 6-foot-9 Kevon Looney and Nemanja Bjelica - and lack of frontcourt depth have been a concern throughout the season. There were too many times throughout the game their bigs, or even their wings, just kind of ran by us and we turn and look and they’re jumping over and coming up with the rebound.” “We’ve had an alertness and an awareness when it came to hitting bodies, boxing people out early, and we didn’t have that tonight. “Part of it was their physicality,” said Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown said after the team’s blowout loss in Game 5. And his teammates are feeding off his energy. Although the Warriors still enter Friday’s game with a 3-2 series lead, Adams’ physical presence is a problem in the paint. Memphis is a cumulative plus-45 with Adams on the floor over the past two games. Adams’ re-emergence has helped them return to form after losing their identity in the first four games of this series. 1 rebounding team in the NBA during the regular season. Perhaps that’s when Jenkins and the Grizzlies came to a realization: Adams remains one of the best rebounders in the game, and Golden State just can’t keep him off the glass. Adams alone was responsible for six of those offensive rebounds. (AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht) Karen Pulfer Focht / Associated PressĪlthough the Warriors were able to win Game 4, thanks to a fourth-quarter rally led by Stephen Curry, Adams played just more than 27 minutes in his return to the starting lineup, finishing with 15 rebounds, and the Grizzlies snagged three more offensive rebounds than they did in Game 3 (10), which resulted in 15 second-chance points. Memphis Grizzlies' Steven Adams (4) defends Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. With Adams effectively sidelined, the Warriors outrebounded Memphis 141-123 in the first three games combined and jumped to a 2-1 series lead. He was available for Game 3 against the Warriors but played just six minutes in garbage time as Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins continued to ride second-year center Xavier Tillman Sr. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound center from New Zealand then had to miss three playoff games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Adams might be the man who broke Zach Randolph’s franchise record for offensive rebounds in a season - with seven regular-season games to spare - but he fell out of the Grizzlies’ rotation and didn’t play much in Memphis’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That this could happen might not have been obvious coming into the series. Adams was at the center of it all, finishing with a game-high 13 rebounds, six on the offensive end. Memphis outrebounded Golden State 55-37 in their 134-95 win on Wednesday night, which allowed the Grizzlies to take 19 more shots and rack up 24 second-chance points. Entering Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Chase Center, the challenge for Steve Kerr’s team becomes finding a way to solve it. MEMPHIS - The way this playoff series is developing, one thing is becoming very clear: the Golden State Warriors have a Steven Adams problem. Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Show More Show Less Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson looks to shoot against Memphis Grizzlies’ Steven Adams during Game 4 of NBA Western Conference Semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 9, 2022. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of3 The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 101-98 to take a 3-1 series lead. Steven Adams (4) puts back a shot in the second half as the Golden State Warriors played the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs at Chase Center, in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 9, 2022. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of3 (13) In the first quarter as the Golden State Warriors played the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs at Fedex Forum in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. Draymond Green (23) tries to box out Steven Adams (4) from a rebound on a shot take by Jaren Jackson jr. Warriors’ Game 6 challenge is stopping Grizzlies’ Steven Adams.
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