Warriors and Bucks take out the pride of champion and win at the start of the conference semifinals

Less than 48 hours after eliminating Minnesota, the Memphis Grizzlies hosted the Golden State Warriors at the FedEx Forum to open the Western Conference semifinals.

The visitors, arriving with more rest in their legs after steamrolling Denver in the first round (4-1), had a clear game plan from the start: match the intensity of the Grizzlies and minimize the damage in transitions.

For this, the figure of Draymond Green emerged, as always, the glue of his team since the first title under the orders of Steve Kerr, back in 2015.

After an equal start and great offensive success for both teams, Green, the flagship of the visiting defence, was sent off at half-time for a grab on Brandon Clarke that the referees considered unsportsmanlike.

Something rigorous, in Kerr's opinion.

Incomprehensible to the rest of the bench.

Draymond Green was ejected for this flagrant 2 foul.

pic.twitter.com/QPYnODEXt1

— ESPN (@espn) May 1, 2022

With more than two quarters to go, and without great advantages on the scoreboard, the Warriors, naked on defense, entrusted themselves to their usual stars —Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson— and, of course, to Jordan Poole, the new offensive threat.

After a summer filled with shooting sessions and hours in the gym, the 22-year-old shooting guard is averaging 23 points and 6 assists per game in his first

appearance .

A boon to his trainer, lacking artillery away from the usual suspects.

Pushed by the fervor of the pavilion after the expulsion of Draymond Green, the minimal advantage of Memphis (61-55) was soon placated by a triple - free throw included - by Stephen Curry shortly into the third inning.

On the opposite rim, Jaren Jackson Jr showed his quality with an exhibition from the triple (six scored in nine attempts) and Ja Morant, immeasurable, ran over the visiting defenders on his way to the basket with his usual speed.

Both Morant and Jackson had 67 points at the end of the game.

Insufficient to knock down a champion's soul.

Even without Draymond Green.

With a strong defense on the perimeter, Memphis left their backs uncovered more than was advisable and the Warriors, who chose to play with

(quintet without centers) in several phases of the game, took advantage of the situation with the roguery that the team still lacks. young local team in decisive moments.

The final stretch was reached with the score tied, but a basket by Brandon Clarke tipped the balance for the hosts before entering the last minute.

With the whole pavilion on its feet, Klay Thompson, sidelined from the competition for 31 months after a string of two serious injuries, took his defender off him with a feint and, from the triple, as in the old days, put his team on ahead thirty seconds from the conclusion.

With six seconds left, with the Warriors leading by one point, Thompson hugged the ball to receive the foul and try to close out the game from the free throw line.

There, where the guard scores more than 90% of his shots, Thompson missed both shots and, to everyone's surprise, handed over the keys to the game to Memphis with less than four seconds left.

In a quick timeout, local coach Taylor Jenkins drew the final play on the board and the players took their places.

As expected, the ball ended up in the hands of Ja Morant, who after running across the court with his defender, tried a forced layup with his left hand that the hoop spat out before the final buzzer.

Relief for Thompson and for the Warriors, who even without Green, strike first in the series (0-1) and steal home court advantage from the Grizzlies.

Antetokounmpo imposes his law in Boston

In the other game of the night, in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks authoritatively beat the Celtics at TD Garden (89-101) with a colossal game —yet another— by Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists).

The Greek, who despite his numbers only scored 36% of his shots, left a play to remember in which his physical power and talent, sometimes undervalued, served him to overwhelm the green defense, yesterday in black , and arouse the admiration of the rival flag.

Giannis Antetokounmpo enters the basket in front of Robert Williams III at the TD Garden in Boston. David Butler II (USA TODAY Sports)

Along with the Greek, and in the absence of Khris Middleton, the defensive intimidation of Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday, also very successful in the triple, served to dry up the Celtics' attack in the first game of the series.

Jasyon Tatum, who had just sealed a brilliant tie against the Brooklyn Nets, had 21 points.

Along with him, Jaylen Brown (12) and Al-Horford (12) were not up to the task in the first round against the Bucks, current NBA champions and top favorites to retain the title.

Marcus Smart, a key player in Boston's defensive gear, left with a shoulder injury just before the break, but was able to return after the restart.

The shooting guard, who played with his hair dyed green in an act of populism befitting his eccentric persona, is the Warriors' equivalent of Draymond Green: the bulldog every coach needs.

Another of the locals' most illustrious players, Robert Williams III, put his indomitable defensive talent to good use against Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With Williams as an inseparable shadow, the Greek missed the five shots he attempted.

The 24-year-old power forward, absent in recent weeks due to a torn meniscus in his left knee, received the Red Auerbach award before the match, an award given by the Boston fans to the player who is the best example of the spirit and of what it means to be a

.

With Milwaukee leading and Boston resisting without breaking away, the visitor's surge came at the beginning of the last act.

It was there that Antetokounmpo laid the law on him.

Against the desperate defense of the Celtics, the Greek brought out a repertoire of resources improved to near perfection.

There was nothing the local team could do, as they saw how the match was slipping away and the deafening noise of the TD Garden was diluted.

In the end, the Bucks' consistency from start to finish ruled, and Udoka will have to engineer several readjustments for Game 2 of the series if he doesn't want the champions to leave Boston with an insurmountable lead.

In two days, the next battle (early Tuesday to Wednesday, at 1).

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on