“Steph saw him as a mentor” - Jay Williams questions how the Golden State Warriors would react to a possible rivalry between Steph Curry and 12 time All-Star

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors were handed a drubbing on Wednesday by the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a team that did not consist of the 2022 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year, Ja Morant. The Warriors were blown out by a 39-point margin that saw the Grizzlies rekindle their hopes of winning the series.

The Warriors started the first-series on a good note, defeating the Denver Nuggets by a 4-1 margin after winning their first two games of the series at home. The difficulty level in the second-round series against the Grizzlies has proven that the Grizzlies are worthy opponents. The lone point difference was the decider in Game 1 to get the Warriors the advantage.

The Grizzlies made an instant response, winning Game 2 with a 5-point differential. But Curry led the Warriors to victories in the next two games, taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

On ESPN's First Take show, Jay Williams, alongside Stephen A. Smith, talked about the possible rivalry that exists between the Warriors guard, Steph Curry, and Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul. He revealed that the bond that used to exist between the two was that of a mentee-mentor, as Curry trained under him as he made his way into the league.

"When Steph was coming into the league, Steph actually trained with CP3," Willams said. "CP3 took him to Disney World with his family, they trained the whole time. Steph saw him as a mentor."

Williams was of the opinion that if both teams made it to the Western Conference finals, a Warriors/Phoenix matchup would reveal a rivalry most people never knew existed. He stated that the rivalry has the potential to become the best rivalry in all of sports.

"If Phoenix Suns are able to win against Dallas and close it out," Williams continued. "I think the world is about to see one of the best low key rivalries in all of sports. And that's Steph Curry against Chris Paul."

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Can the Memphis Grizzlies win the series over Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors?

Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 28, 2021 in San Francisco, California.

With Ja Morant out for Game 5, fans and analysts were quick to rule out the Memphis Grizzlies as they were certain Steph Curry and the Warriors would close out the game. But the Grizzlies had something off their sleeves as they started off the game on a high.

They registered a 10 point lead by the end of the first quarter and extended it tremendously in the third and fourth quarters. The Grizzlies youngsters were fluid on the court, playing to their strength and sinking in shots with three players hitting the 21 points mark and 7 players with 10+ points. It was riveting to watch as the Grizzlies ripped the Warriors apart without their key man, Morant.

Game 6 is scheduled to be held on Friday, May 14 and Morant is still out with a knee injury and could sit out the game. The players could make it a back-to-back defeat against the Warriors, thereby forcing Game 7.