Curry hits 8 triples, leads Warriors past Grizzlies into West final

MVP Steph Curry is one step closer to the NBA Finals, and the Golden State Warriors are off to their first Western Conference finals since 1976.

Golden State beat the Memphis Grizzlies 108-95 on Friday, taking Game 6 at The Grindhouse and winning the series 4-2.

As they're wont to do, the Grizzlies fought valiantly in front of a terrific home crowd, but Curry's terrific shooting and a continued inability to score sunk Memphis for a third consecutive game. The Grizzlies shot 37.4 percent and knocked down only four triples, rendering their offense somewhat punchless despite turning the ball over just three times.

Memphis now heads into a somewhat uncertain offseason, while the Warriors await the winner of Sunday's Game 7 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets. Whoever stands opposite Golden State, they'll need to figure out a strategy to chase them off the 3-point line, as the Warriors topped Memphis thanks in large part to a 15-of-32 shooting mark from long-range.

That series will tip off Tuesday in Oakland.

Turning Point

With 8:22 to play in the third quarter and a 61-53 lead, the Warriors looked as if they could soon be on cruise control the rest of the way to the Western Conference finals.

And then Andrew Bogut picked up his fourth foul, heading to the bench and keying a 7-2 Grizzlies run over 4:27 ... at which point Draymond Green picked up his fourth foul on a tough blocking call that easily could have been a Jeff Green charge.

It looked as if the Warriors could be on the verge of breaking, were it not for the league's deadliest shooter. With the lead standing at 73-68 and just seconds on the clock, Curry corralled a loose ball at his own free-throw line and calmly sank a buzzer-beating 62-footer.

That extended the lead to eight at the break and if the Grizzlies had any inclination that the basketball gods, or even just momentum, were on their side, the three-quarter-court heave put a stop to that thinking.

Star Performer

Everything starts and ends with Curry. Except for his range, which doesn't end at all.

Curry was phenomenal once again on Friday, absolutely killing the Grizzlies from outside. Tony Allen returned but played sparingly with further hamstring trouble and Memphis had little else to offer in terms of ways to slow Dell's son down. Not that it would have mattered.

When you're canning 62-footers, using dirty defensive tactics from the other team to your advantage, possibly putting an end to the Marc Gasol era in Memphis and shutting Phil Jackson up, you've had a night and a series.

Curry finished the game with 32 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and an 8-of-13 mark from outside, tying teammate Klay Thompson's franchise record for threes in a playoff game. He finishes the series averaging 24.5 points, five rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.2 steals with a 40.6-percent mark from long range despite a 4-of-21 stretch.

Highlight Reel

What, exactly, could you tell your defense to do about Curry making ridiculous plays like this? And how do you combat a set that amounts to basketball pornography, like this elevator doors variation?

Even when you force Curry far outside, he just cans triples from another zip code.

There's at least one thing Curry can't do: Guard Zach Randolph in the post.

Series at a Glance

Game 1: Warriors 101, Grizzlies 86 (Warriors lead 1-0)
Game 2: Grizzlies 97, Warriors 90 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Grizzlies 99, Warriors 89 (Grizzlies lead 2-1)
Game 4: Warriors 101, Grizzlies 84 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: Warriors 98, Grizzlies 78 (Warriors lead 3-2)
Game 6: Warriors 108, Grizzlies 95 (Warriors win 4-2)

Alternate Series at a Glance