After breaking the hearts of Dubs fans, Morant will be a rude guest from Utah

CHICAGO – Ja Morant is a rude guest.

Hostile, irreverent.

Visiting the opulent Chase Center in downtown San Francisco today, he broke the hearts of fans in his hometown who flocked to support their beloved and once-dynastic Dubs.

If more people had been allowed in than the 7,505 that the COVID restrictions would allow, there would have been more tears. I guess you can call it a ray of hope.

The arena, just 20 months old and reportedly built for $ 1.4 billion, served as the perfect backdrop for an invaluable performance in the inaugural NBA play-in tournament.

At only 21 years old, Morant was shown to be too young and reckless. Cold, brutal.

While surviving a 39-point blast from two-time league MVP Steph Curry, Morant responded with 35 points, six rebounds and six assists. He managed 5 out of 10 lines and 14 of 29 field goals in total.

PHOTO: AP

The 6-foot-3, 174-pound point guard also committed a small theft with four steals while recording 46 of the thriller’s possible 53 minutes overtime.

Grizzlies 117. Warriors 112.

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Down 95-85 with 3:36 left in regulation, the seasoned Warriors showed their balance in the championship and came back from the dead with a 14-4 kick that forced an extension.

IN THE LAST MINUTE OF THE EXTRA HOURS, THE WARRIORS HAVE THREATENED AGAIN, THIS TIME ARRIVING INSIDE 110-109.

And that’s when Morant came to save Memphis with a pair of sick 10-foot floaters that guaranteed the Grizzlies a ticket to the playoffs as the Western Conference eighth seed.

The Warriors, meanwhile, enter summer with a crushed soul.

In the event of a loss, however, Golden State has shown a lot of promise in young guys like Jordan Poole and Juan Toscano-Anderson who can help the team have another decent Larry O’Brien trophy run when Klay Thompson returns from injury.

And they might want to seriously wonder if this future is bright with Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins, who earns $ 29.5million this season and owes an additional $ 65.1million over the next two years, scored 22 but disappeared into the crisis with poor defense and punching selections even more mediocre.

I’m a little sorry for the Warriors for losing at home like that when they were minus 5 favorites and Curry was Curry.

But they have three titles since 2015. They will be fine.

The Grizzlies might not offer the same glitz, name recognition, and star power as these Warriors, but Memphis is full of talent that can actually compete with the # 1 ranked Utah Jazz and make it a series. fun.

PHOTO: AP

Jonas Valanciunas is not Rudy Gobert but he can hold out against the French All-Star.

Jordan Clarkson is a dangerous weapon, as is Dillan Brooks, an irritant who has lived in Curry’s jersey all day today.

All-Star Donovan “Spider” Mitchell crawls with so much confidence but I’ll take Morant’s blinding speed, elusive grace and gasping finesse at all times.

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The first match of this series will take place on Monday.

And someone should warn the Utah tourism board that a bad visitor with dangerous intentions is about to hit the city.
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