CHICAGO -- Ja Morant is a rude guest.
Hostile, irreverent.
While visiting the opulent Chase Center in downtown San Francisco today, he broke the hearts of hometown fans who trickled in to root for their beloved and once dynastic Dubs.
Had more people been allowed to enter than the 7,505 that COVID restrictions would permit, there would have been more tears. I guess you can call that a silver lining.
The arena, only 20 months old and reportedly built for a staggering $1.4 billion, served as the perfect backdrop for a priceless performance in the NBA's inaugural play-in tournament.
Just 21, Morant proved too young and reckless. Cold, brutal.
While surviving the welter of a 39-point explosion from two-time league MVP Steph Curry, Morant responded with 35 points, six rebounds and six assists. He hit 5-of-10 threes and 14 of 29 field goals overall.
The 6-foot-3, 174-pound point guard also committed petty larceny with four steals while logging 46 out of a possible 53 minutes of the overtime thriller.
Grizzlies 117. Warriors 112.
Down 95-85 with 3:36 left in regulation, the highly experienced Warriors showed their championship poise and came back from the dead with a 14-4 kick that forced an extension.
IN THE FINAL MINUTE OF OVERTIME, THE WARRIORS THREATENED AGAIN, THIS TIME CRAWLING TO WITHIN 110-109.
And that's when Morant came to rescue Memphis with a pair of sick 10-foot floaters that guaranteed the Grizzlies a ticket to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors, meanwhile, head into the summer with a crushed soul.
In defeat, though, Golden State showed a lot of promise in young guys such as Jordan Poole and Juan Toscano-Anderson who can help the team make one more decent run at the Larry O'Brien trophy when Klay Thompson returns from injury.
And they might want to seriously ponder if that future is bright with Andrew Wiggins in it.
Wiggins, who collects a $29.5 million salary this season and is owed another $65.1 million in the next two years, scored 22 but disappeared in crunchtime with poor defense and even poorer shot selections.
I kind of feel sorry for the Warriors to lose at home like that when they were minus 5 favorites and Curry was being Curry.
But they've got three titles since 2015. They'll be alright.
The Grizzlies might not offer the same glitter, name recognition, and star power like those Warriors but Memphis is loaded with talent that can actually compete with the No. 1-ranked Utah Jazz and make it a fun series.
Jonas Valanciunas is not Rudy Gobert but he can hold his ground against the French All-Star.
Jordan Clarkson is a dangerous weapon, but so is Dillan Brooks, an irritant who lived in Curry's jersey all day today.
All-Star Donovan "Spider" Mitchell crawls with so much confidence but I'll take the blinding speed, elusive grace and breathless finesse of Morant any time.
Game 1 of that series is on Monday.
And someone ought to caution the Utah tourism office that a bad visitor with dangerous intentions is about to hit town.
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