The Warriors-Grizzlies rivalry was cemented in last year’s postseason, and tensions have only increased since then.
Golden State has beaten Memphis twice this year, including a Christmas Day win that featured some incredible taunting from Klay Thompson and Draymond Green directed a Dillon Brooks.
Things should be even more charged for the Warriors-Grizzlies matchup next Tuesday, after Brooks’s comments in a recent ESPN article took a number of shots at Green and Golden State.
“I don’t like Draymond at all,” Brooks told ESPN’s Tim Keown. “I just don’t like Golden State. I don’t like anything to do with them. Draymond talks a lot. Gets away with a lot, too. His game is cool — with Golden State — but if you put him anywhere else, you’re not going to know who Draymond is. He plays with heart, plays hard, knows the ins and outs of their defense. I guess that’s why they like him over there.”
Brooks also made it clear that he disagreed with any comparisons to his game and Green’s game. When asked if he wanted to respond, Green “laughed and chose to pass on the opportunity” to comment.
The only feather in the Grizzlies’ cap against the Warriors is their play-in victory in the 2021 postseason, playing a shorthanded Golden State team without Klay Thompson. Since then, the Warriors have owned Memphis, but it doesn’t seem to have had any sort of chilling effect on the noise coming from the Grizzlies players.