A golden opportunity awaits the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals

MINNEAPOLIS — Ja Morant and Desmond Bane sat side by side Friday night speaking to reporters after the Memphis Grizzlies finished off the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 at the Target Center.

The duo was tired after a long, exhausting six-game series, but Morant said it was time to turn the page. Their isn't much time, with Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals set to tip off on Sunday (2:30 p.m., ABC) at the FedExForum in Memphis.

The next page is a meeting with the No. 3 seed Golden State Warriors, who have what many regard as the best backcourt over the past seven years with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. The Splash Brothers built their name as elite shooters but second-seeded Memphis' young duo is doing it a different way, with inside and out complementary basketball.

Now, the Grizzlies backcourt has some things it wants the world to know about it.

"We killers, man," Bane said.

"Real headhunters," Morant added. "We feel like we're one of the best backcourts in the league as well."

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Like the Splash Brothers did, Morant and Bane are growing up together. They were drafted a year apart, and now they have a golden opportunity to state their case as one of the league's top backcourts.

Morant struggled as a scorer in round one while the Timberwolves' athletic frontcourt made it difficult for him around the rim. Bane picked up the slack and scored 24 points per game on 50% shooting, 48% on 3-pointers and 90% from the free-throw line.

"If you ask me, the MVP of this series would be this guy right here," Morant said looking at Bane. "

Both players finished top five in the NBA's Most Improved voting, with Morant winning the honors.

Morant pointed out that it's more than he and Bane, and that's true. Tyus Jones nailed big shots to close out Minnesota in Game 6 and has been one of the best point guards at taking care of the basketball.

Early in the third quarter Friday, defensive pest Patrick Beverley switched onto Bane and the Timberwolves were loading up in the paint every time Morant drove the ball. Someone else had to step up, and Dillon Brooks scored 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting before fouling out. Brooks struggled just one game earlier, when he shot 3-for-18 overall and 1 of 10 on 3-pointers.

"I think they thought I was going to shoot 1-for-10 again," Brooks said. "I'm a pro, I figure stuff out. We got a four-headed monster on our team. They take out Des, they take out Ja, me and (Jaren Jackson Jr.) will find ways to get guys involved, and that's what we did."

Jackson finally got the opportunity to show what he could do in this series without lingering foul trouble. He finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks.

Like the Grizzlies' backcourt, Jackson's defensive performance will likely be measured against former Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green. The first step for Jackson will be availability. Friday was the only playoff game he's played more than 30 minutes this season.

"I feel like we need that out of (Jackson) every game," Brooks said. "Trying to get him to keep playing at that level. Find a way to play without fouling, so we need him on that floor."

The Grizzlies showed their resiliency against the Timberwolves. They came back from down double-digits in the fourth quarter to win three games. No other team had ever done it twice in one series.

Now, the games will get tougher. It will take more than resiliency.

For a team that is the second youngest in the NBA, here comes a chance to highlight its young stars against an older core that was once the toast of the league.

Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @damichaelc

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The Memphis Grizzlies are turning the page to the Golden State series