Shaquille O’Neal, Who Predicted a Warriors Championship Triumph, Believes Grizzlies “Gave the Game Away” vs Stephen Curry and Co.

The Memphis Grizzlies lost a close game 4 against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Monday in the Western Conference semi-finals.

In spite of leading the game for almost its entirety, the Grizzlies fell short at the very last moments. The Warriors displayed their championship pedigree by coming in clutch in the 4th quarter at home turf.

Shaq thinks the Grizzlies gave the game away

The Grizzlies had to play without Ja Morant because of right knee soreness. But a 3-point loss on the road without their best player playing is no excuse for Shaquille O’Neal.

The NBA’s ultimate ‘Big Man’ thinks the Grizzlies shouldn’t have lost after leading for most of the game.

“I think, Ernie, Memphis gave the game away,” Shaq said on the TNT broadcast, “three minutes left-they were up by three.”

“They didn’t have a closer“, diagnosed the Lakers legend.

In the absence of Morant, Taylor Jenkins looked toward Jaren Jackson Jr. to close out the game. He and Steven Adams dominated the paint. Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 21 points with 7-21 shooting, which was not enough for the road team.

DEUCE DEUCE TO BEAT THE BUZZER pic.twitter.com/tCbXGrCmXl

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) May 10, 2022

However, Coach Jenkins praised how the team fought through the entire game with grit and determination. Nobody thought that Memphis would lose, especially after Desmond Bane drained a buzzer-beater at the end of the 3rd quarter giving the Grizzlies a 7-point lead.

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However, the Warriors closed the game like true champions. The absence of Steve Kerr on the bench, who was diagnosed with COVID just hours before the game, didn’t make a difference.

Tough win for Stephen Curry and the Warriors

The 101-98 win against the Grizzlies was far from a convincing performance by the Warriors. They had a tough night from the field, shooting only 24% from the 3-point line.

Steph Curry saved the day for the Warriors, as he so often does, scoring 32 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards. 18 of those 32 very important points came in the 4th quarter.

Curry didn’t have a particularly great game, going 10-for-25 from the field and 4-for-14 from deep. But the two-time MVP eventually sealed the fate of the game by swishing 8 clutch free throws in the final minutes of the game.

this team is so special pic.twitter.com/cADuVk961D

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 10, 2022

The other splash brother Klay Thompson struggled from the field, scoring only 14 points with 6-20 shooting. He attempted 7 threes and missed all of them.

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Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins weren’t great either despite their good performances in the playoffs so far. They combined for 1-for-8 from the 3-point line.

Do you think the Warriors can go all the way? Let us know in the comments!

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