The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies are currently embroiled in one of sports’ most electrifying rivalries.
A new chapter in their back-and-forth was written on Christmas Day when Golden State (sans Stephen Curry) dismantled the Grizzlies by double figures.
As usual, a series of testy moments occurred in the outing. One in particular involved Klay Thompson mercilessly taunting Dillon Brooks:
Klay Thompson over Dillon Brooks. 😂
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 26, 2022
Brooks, understandably, wasn’t a big fan of the move.
“Refs let it happen,” he told Drew hill of The Daily Memphian. “He was doing it all game. Then they want to catch the bad guy. That’s wack to me. F—– up calls and putting the wrong guys at the free throw line. It was a circus. Should have different refs.”
Another person who wasn’t a fan of the taunting was Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
“Morant didn’t see Thompson taunt Brooks,” Damichael Cole of Commercial Appeal reported.
“He tried to look at it on the Chase Arena videoboard after Thompson picked up the technical foul. When he learned of what Thompson did after the game, Morant called it ‘typical’ for someone to say something when the game is decided.”
Part of the reason why the game ended the way it did, apparently, is because the Grizzlies didn’t take the Warriors particularly seriously coming in.
“In the visiting locker room before games, most teams play a steady loop of the opponent’s highlights, including scouting notes, on whatever monitor they can get their hands on,” Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports wrote.
“Prior to the Grizzlies’ marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Warriors, however, the Golden State scouting video was relegated to a laptop with its screen tilted heavily toward the floor. Instead, the Memphis players had their eyes glued to a TV showing a live feed of … the Boston Celtics.”
Can’t blame Steph, but also the photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/mHRFglPAqA
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 27, 2022
There is something pretty funny about the fact that Andre Iguodala’s refusal to play for the Grizzlies is what has kickstarted one of the biggest NBA rivalries of this decade – but here we are.
The NBA season is a long one, so time will tell where these teams end up.
Hopefully, however, all parties involved get to settle their beef in the playoffs like they did last year.
Related: NBA Fans Notice Something Odd About Ja Morant’s New Logo
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
