The Memphis Grizzlies folded in the Summer League Final

Pop the Aquafina bottles for the new Summer League champs — the Golden State Warriors.

The Memphis Grizzlies were beat in crunch time by the  Warriors in the SL Finale (94-90), and it was the second time they faced them. The game started 27 hours after playing the Houston Rockets, which affected the juice in their legs to guard.

The Grizzlies had a fast start offensively, making four first-quarter 3-pointers, yet the Warriors were on their tails because they kept getting to the cup with and without transition. Part of the reason for Golden State’s success was them picking apart the screen-roll defense and Yaxel Lendeborg was a lot to handle in the lane.

On top of that, the Warriors’ half-court defense was superior because they sagged off the non-shooters, which helped contain the main threats. Subsequently, one of the pivotal moments of the game came late in the third quarter when Lendeborg picked up his fourth foul. It limited his aggressiveness while he stayed on the floor, but he came back firing at the start of the next frame and was the best player when the game was up for grabs. 

The schemes weren’t much different in the second half, but the Grizzlies overhelped and paid the price for it.  

Javon Small:

He started the game, nailing multiple 3-pointers in and broke into the lane for a floater. He made right reads without many mistakes and helped the team maintain a faster pace, but was mostly invisible in the second half. He had 10 points on 27.3 percent shooting, with four boards and eight dimes against one turnover. He gets a C -.

Cedric Coward:

Cedric Coward's long jumper was falling, and he hit the gas pedal in the second quarter, making his impact felt everywhere. Yet he slowed down significantly after intermission as the Warriors were more keyed in against his loose handle. 

It's cool that he wants to expand his game as a shooter, but he needed to find ways to be more effective off-ball going inside. His best moment of the game was late in the fourth quarter, swishing a corner trey to cut the deficit to a point, but only two baskets in the second half doesn't cut it for someone who played well last year against higher competition.

He had 19 points on 60 percent shooting, with six rebounds and four assists agaisnt one turnover. He gets a C. 

Cameron Boozer 

He did the dirty work, hustling for extra possessions, but his touch was off on his jumper in the first half. The latter changed after intermission, and despite being sped up a little bit by the defense, he emerged as the team’s best player. 

Subbing him out for a quick rest in the fourth quarter was a mistake because it helped the Warriors get loose without another strong help defender, and the Grizzlies’ offense slowed down minus a connector. The team struggled to maintain its earlier rhythm when he came back, and he missed the go-ahead shot at the top of the key. 

He finished with 19 points on 41.2 percent shooting, with eight rebounds (five offensive) and four assists against four giveaways. He gets a B -.