Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies.
With the NBA playoffs right around the corner, the Golden State Warriors have an important five-game road trip staring them in the face. Road games have been an issue for the team all season. They’ve won just 7 of their 33 matchups away from home.
Golden State will undoubtedly be looking to get their legs underneath them during the five game trip. Amongst their opponents are the second-place Memphis Grizzlies.
The upcoming March 18 matchup will be the fourth and final between the two teams this season. The Warriors have won two of the first three, losing the most recent meeting on March 9.
Stephen Curry was asked about the talented young Grizzlies team, after Golden State’s March 13 win over the Phoenix Suns.
“I don’t want to be short, but no,” Curry said, via the Golden State Warriors YouTube channel, when asked if he considers the Grizzlies to be a rival. “It’s just a team that is tough to beat, they’re really talented… It’s more so just a team you know you need to play well to beat, but the history isn’t there really yet, so we just block that out and play basketball.”
The Dubs may not have as long of a history with Memphis as they do with other Western Conference teams, but they certainly have some.
For starters, Golden State eliminated the Grizzlies from last season’s playoffs. They took their Western Conference Semifinals series in six games on their way to another championship.
Warriors’ Draymond Green Ignites Beef With Dillon Brooks
On top of last season’s playoff matchup, Warriors forward Draymond Green recently went back and forth with Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks.
It all started when Brooks name-dropped Green and the Dubs, during a recent interview with ESPN.
“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.”
Green fired back at Brooks days later on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.
“If you ever wonder why the Memphis Grizzlies is not ready to compete for a championship, look no further than this idiot right here,” Green retorted. “They’re actually depending on this guy to help them win a championship.”
.@Money23Green responds to Dillon Brooks’ comments
After a bit of build up, the two teams met on March 9, with the Grizzlies taking home the 131-110 blowout victory.
The 24-year-old again threw some shade at Green, this time during his postgame interview.
“These are my guys. We grew it all together. I ain’t out there getting into physical altercations with my teammates,” Brooks said in reference to Green’s incident with teammate Jordan Poole. “I sit there and talk to them, not break them down but build them up.”
Draymond Green Doesn’t View Warriors-Grizzlies as a Rivalry
Green, much like Curry, doesn’t see the Grizzlies as a rival. He said so following the meeting in Memphis last week.
“No, it’s expected,” Green said of the fire between the two teams when they play each other via NBA Interviews. “Teams have been getting up for us for years and talk like they can beat you, and then not. That doesn’t create a rivalry. Rivalries are created by, you win, I win. And clearly, we’ve won four times, and I think their organization has zero championships. So I can’t consider that a rivalry.”