Golden State Warriors And memphis grizzlies Bring out the best, or sometimes the worst, in each other.
It’s a rivalry that’s often one-sided but still strong in star power with Stephen Curry, ja morant, klay thompson, Draymond Green And dillon brooks Going head to head. The chatter on and off the court has helped make this one of the stickiest rivalries in the NBA.
Bad blood has provided fodder for some exciting basketball games, but how did we get here? The rift between these two squads spans four seasons – and it all begins Andre Iguodala,
skunk vs vet
In July 2019, Memphis acquired Iguodala in a trade with Golden State. Warriors needed to free up cap space for sign-and-trade d’angelo russell Afterwards Kevin Durant headed for Brooklyn Nets,
But the 2015 NBA Finals MVP never reported to training camp or expressed interest in suiting up for Memphis. Iguodala said in January 2020 about sitting on “First Take”, “It’s been a blessing in disguise … I think it’s added a few years to my career.”
next month, Memphis agreed to a deal Together Miami Heat Which sent Iggy to South Beach. But before that, Grizzlies players expressed their displeasure over Iguodala’s brief tenure as a teammate.
0:28
Were Brooks’ comments about Iguodala wrong?
Jay Williams responds to Dillon Brooks’ comments that he can’t wait for the Grizzlies to trade Andre Iguodala.
“That was the first time I saw them talk about us on TV,” Brooks said. “It doesn’t matter. Andre Iguodala is a great player. I think he’s doing the right thing for his career, but we don’t really care. It’s not a distraction at all. I like that laugh at things. A guy that’s on our team that doesn’t want to be on our team, I can’t wait until we find a way to trade him so we can play him and show him Know what Memphis is really about.
8-seed fate
As luck would have it, the Grizzlies and Warriors faced off for the 8-seed in the regular season finals.
Golden State led 55–49 at halftime, then Stephen Curry and company exploded in the third quarter to extend their lead to 86–69. Brooks started the fourth quarter on an eight-point run that closed the gap to 86–77. He stayed hot in the final frame and converted a game-tying three-point play with 6:32 remaining. Shortly thereafter, Green committed Brooks’ sixth foul, which sent him to the bench for the final 6:12.
Warriors went on to win 113-101But thanks to the introduction of the NBA’s own play-in tournament, it didn’t take long for these teams to meet again.
drive it back @Warrior’s
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) May 20, 2021
Five days later, the rematch went into overtime.
Memphis had a 10-point advantage with 3:36 remaining, but clutch free throw shooting Jordan Poole and combined with timely layups by Curry Green and Andrew Wiggins sent the game into extra minutes.
the grizzlies 117-112 win and ended a three-year playoff drought.
strength in numbers
After spending the better part of two seasons as a spectator in the rivalry, things are complete with Iggy returning to the Golden State for the 2021-22 season.
,@andre is back in the bay‼️ pic.twitter.com/6Sfh39LQn0
– Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 11, 2021
The Grizzlies went 3–1 in the two teams’ regular-season matchups, and Jaron Jackson Jr., Stirred the pot by tweeting his rallying phrase after defeating the Warriors 123-95 In a game in which Curry, Thompson and Green did not play.
strength in numbers 👏🏾
— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) March 29, 2022
The beef really rose to prominence when the two teams met in the conference semifinals. Game 1 lived up to the hype, but Green only participated in half of it, thanks to a second-quarter ejection. Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining to give the Warriors a one-point lead. Morant missed a last-second layup that 117-116 loss for memphis
cracked the code
Game 2 was another essential link in this tumultuous relationship. Brooks was ejected in the opening minutes of the game after striking out Gary Payton IIwho broke his left elbow in the incident.
The Golden State sideline, including head coach Steve Kerr, saw it as a foul play.
“Dillon Brooks broke the code,” said Kerr. “That’s how I see it.”
whoop that trick
The Warriors entered Game 5 up 3–1, eager to end the Grizzlies’ playoff run.
Before the potential series came to a close, Curry gave some insight on Golden State’s mindset to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, saying:
“Whoop that trick! That’s our game plan.”
“Whoop That Trick” is a song by Memphis-born rapper Al Capone – and it serves as the Grizzlies’ unofficial anthem played at FedExForum during game moments late in the series.
the grizzlies 134-95 thrashing to avoid elimination.
Despite the big loss, Steph and Drummond still appeared to be enjoying the moment the song was played.
Whoop that trick… Steph and Drummond are enjoying it. pic.twitter.com/rZuatdxO8N
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) May 12, 2022
Warriors win game 6 110-96 to advance to the conference finals, and Memphis was already looking forward to their next meeting.
“They know we’re going to come every year,” Brooks said. “We’re young, they’re getting old, so they know we’re coming every year.”
Strength in Numbers, II
Golden State won the NBA Finals, but even in the brightest phase of the league, the Grizzlies still came to mind.
“Strength in numbers is alive and well,” Thompson said after winning the championship. “It was a player on the Grizzlies [Jaren Jackson Jr.] Who tweeted ‘strength in numbers’ after we beat them in the regular season, and it really bothered me. I can’t wait to retweet that stuff. weird butts I wanted to see that. I’m like, ‘This freakin’ clown.’ Sorry, that memory just popped up. Are you going to make fun of us? You’ve never been there before. We’ve been there before, we know what it takes. So to be here again, catch him.”
Morant didn’t take his teammate’s criticism lightly, and it didn’t take long for Green to intervene.
Got lots of real estate 😂 https://t.co/5JYqhn8Vw0
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 17, 2022
I’m roaming 🤐 https://t.co/MbmW1QhpUe
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) June 19, 2022
Two months later, he continued his off-season Twitter conversation, expressing his delight that the two teams would face off as part of the NBA’s Christmas Day slate.
This is the power of your voice Young! Let’s go! bring the family over to the crib for dinner afterwards https://t.co/xs8GpKkQtE
— Drummond Green (@Money23Green) August 13, 2022
ok in the west
Memphis jumped to a 19–11 record, tied for the best in the conference. Morant memorably declared that he was “right in the West” and named Boston Celtics as the Grizzlies’ only competition.
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Why the future of the NBA is in good hands
Malika Andrews sits down with Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell to talk about their impact on the game of basketball and what they mean to the next generation of stars.
It turned out to be useful bulletin board material for Golden State, which won the Christmas Day game. 123-109, While this matchup was not a nailbiter, the history between the teams was evident as seven technical fouls were assessed – six of which were on the Warriors’ account.
Their January 26 meeting provided more drama with the Warriors comeback fueled by Poole’s last-second game-winning layup.
the feeling is mutual
Things heated up after Brooks candidly shared his disdain for Golden State With Tim Keon of ESPN,
“I don’t like Drummond at all,” Brooks said. “I don’t like Golden State. I don’t like having anything to do with them. Drummond talks a lot. Gets away with a lot. He has a good game — with Golden State — but if you put him somewhere And, you wouldn’t know who Drummond is. He plays with heart, works hard, knows his defense in and out. I think that’s why they like him out there.”
This prompted a response from Green on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show”.
,@money23green Responds to Dillon Brooks’ comments pic.twitter.com/cHu7R9A5nf
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 8, 2023
Brooks and the Grizzlies get the last word (figuratively) after their dominance 131-110 The win on March 9, their first against the Warriors this season.
0:33
Brooks trolls Drummond in post-game interview
Dillon Brooks responds to Draymond Green after the Grizzlies’ win over the Warriors.
Despite the history, Green still says he would not call Memphis a rival.
“You win creates a rivalry, I win. Frankly, we’ve won four times, and they have zero championships in their organization, so I can’t count it as a rivalry,” Green said after the game,
Semantics aside, he cannot deny that there is a connection least Amusing.