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Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — With 3:43 to go within the fourth quarter, Klay Thompson rose above Dillon Brooks to knock down a 20-foot bounce shot to place the Golden State Warriors up 16.
Brooks stumbled backward, falling over within the course of. As Thompson ran again on protection, he leaned over Brooks, aspect shuffling 3 times whereas sticking his tongue in Brooks’ face.
“Some good, old style trash discuss,” Thompson mentioned. “It is at all times enjoyable to speak trash. We have been doing that since we have been in center faculty. You often play your finest otherwise you get frazzled. For me, it is often the previous.”
Heading into the Warriors’ Christmas Day 123-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, either side have been hesitant to name the connection between them a rivalry.
Positive, they’ve a quick historical past: The Grizzlies eradicated the Warriors within the play-in event in 2021, and the Warriors ended Memphis’ season final 12 months within the Western Convention semifinals. There’s been loads of trash discuss between the 2 groups over the previous a number of months. However there is not sufficient for a full-blown rivalry, they mentioned.
But, their first assembly of this season felt like the subsequent chapter in what’s a really actual (budding) rivalry.
“It is undoubtedly choosing up steam,” Kerr mentioned. “[But] to essentially develop a rivalry, there’s received to be a number of playoff sequence. Final 12 months’s sequence was actually contested and heated. We all know how good they’re, and we’re making an attempt to maintain it rolling. They’re making an attempt to knock us off the mountain.”
A number of days earlier than Christmas, Memphis level guard Ja Morant, 23, informed ESPN he did not view any workforce within the Western Convention as a menace. He named simply the Boston Celtics as standing out as a menace to the Grizzlies’ title aspirations.
Thompson, who scored 24 factors, mentioned he did not see that interview or Morant’s feedback. And in contrast to 10 years in the past, when Thompson, 32, was early in his profession, he mentioned exterior trash discuss does not impression him.
Trash discuss is nothing new between these two groups particularly.
Kerr mentioned the Grizzlies broke the code when Brooks injured Gary Payton II within the Western Convention semifinals. Jaren Jackson Jr. made enjoyable of the Warriors’ “Power in Numbers” slogan, and Thompson subsequently referred to as him a “freaking bum” and a “clown.” In June, Morant referred to as for this Christmas Day matchup on Twitter.
Throughout his postgame interview on ESPN on Sunday, Thompson mentioned, “They have been speaking about dynasty and all of that stuff. You possibly can’t discuss dynasty when you have not received earlier than. … I assumed that was untimely discuss, to even point out that phrase. However they convey the most effective out of us, and I believe we do the identical.”
The dynasty remark Thompson was referring to was when Brooks mentioned Memphis was within the strategy of constructing a dynasty in March 2022 after their remaining regular-season assembly.
Sunday’s contest did deliver out the most effective within the Warriors or a minimum of much better than their earlier two video games — two 30-plus-point losses, on the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, to shut a 1-5 street journey.
The Warriors’ Jordan Poole scored a team-high 32 factors on 11-of-25 capturing from the sector and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line earlier than being ejected for selecting up two technical fouls.
Golden State ahead Draymond Green had what Kerr considers a quintessential Draymond Inexperienced recreation, ending with 13 rebounds, 13 assists and simply three factors. It was Inexperienced’s fifth profession non-points double-double, good for second all time within the class, behind Jason Kidd (25). No different participant has greater than eight.
The Warriors’ Dec. 10 win over the Celtics had an identical really feel to this one, and the Warriors had mentioned they may use that recreation as a blueprint to information them.
The widespread denominator the Warriors mentioned they see between the Celtics recreation and the one on Christmas is their decision-making. In each video games, the Warriors did not pressure pictures or make fast selections that led to errors. And as they navigate the subsequent two weeks (a minimum of) with out Stephen Curry (shoulder), there’s a fair smaller margin of error.
Nonetheless, there was room for enchancment towards the Grizzlies. Golden State picked up six technical fouls. The ultimate three performs on the finish of the primary half have been a Poole turnover, Thompson fouling a 3-point shooter and a Poole technical foul. Within the fourth quarter, the Warriors picked up 4 completely different fouls — take, private and technical fouls — in two seconds.
Even with these sloppier moments, the Warriors knew they needed — and wanted — to make an announcement recreation.
“They’re gifted, we’re gifted, we’re seasoned and we’re making an attempt to carry these younger bucks off so long as we will,” Thompson mentioned. “It was a great night time to ship them a message since you by no means know who you are going to see down the street. This workforce is a possible workforce we might play within the playoffs. So every time we play them, there are at all times fireworks.”