The rivalries It’s the essence of the NBA. Two teams against each other for historical, geographical or purely game-related reasons and, thanks to this, every match becomes a spectacle on and off the pitch. From Celtics-Nationals to Bulls-Pistons, not forgetting Boston-Lakers, Knicks-Heat and many others that added extra excitement throughout the story. One of the last to appear was the one starring Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.
On the one hand, the most successful franchise of the last decade. on the other, the great aspirant to rise up, driven by his youth and rebellion.
With that in mind, it’s time to review it origin from grizzly-warrior rivalry, as well as the schedule, key moments and other issues that have marked this particular derby.
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The origins of the Warriors-Grizzlies rivalry
The origin of the rivalry between Golden State Warriors and Memphis GrizzliesCuriously, it involves a player who, at the time, was not part of the California team. In July 2019, those from Bahia moved to Andre Iguodala to Memphis with the goal of freeing up salary since the veteran was set to make 17.1 million and Golden State planned to move on to a new project. So far everything within the usual NBA.
But Iguodala, used to winning and being part of teams with high aspirations, wasn’t ready to be part of a rebuilding project. Those Grizzlies had just won 33 games and ended up in draft lottery spots, meaning they weren’t an attractive destination for Iggy. The player wanted out of Memphis for a title contender, so he never transferred to Tennessee, staying away from the team while his future was decided.
That situation did not sit well in the Grizzlies locker room and Dillon Brooks was quick to chime in:
The first time I saw him [a Iguodala] He was on TV talking about us. We don’t even care. Andre Iguodala is a great player. I feel like he’s doing the right thing for his career, but we don’t really care. It’s not a distraction at all. I laugh at things like that. A guy that’s on our team and doesn’t want to be, I’m looking forward to finding a way to trade him so we can play him and show him what Memphis is all about.
After Iggy left for Miami Brooks, Ja Morant and Iguodala himself got into a fight. beef from social networks:
Things are getting very spicy in Memphis: pic.twitter.com/Tc7X7bpjOi
—Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 4, 2020
In free agency in 2021, Andre Iguodala returned to Golden State and along the way, the Warriors built their own rivalry with the Grizzlies.
The battle for the 2021 Play-In
Despite his return Stephen Curry In the 2020-2021 season, the Warriors were unable to fight for the ring. At the same time, the Memphis Grizzlies had asserted their status as postseason contenders thanks to an excellent Ja Morant and a good defensive system. During the Regular Season, the two teams didn’t have enough to finish in the top six of the West as they had to play the pass in a knockout game in the Play-In.
It is important to note that their three previous clashes have already seen sparks, with two of them occurring in the very short space of two days. Meanwhile, the final game of the regular season, happened 5 days before the Play-In and with standings at stake, a duel the Warriors won.
This clash for eighth place in the West in the Play-In was high-profile, settled in overtime and with many players exchanging words:
The timeline of the Warriors-Grizzlies rivalry
July 7, 2019 — Andre Iguodala is traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
September 23, 2023 — Andre Iguodala agrees to Memphis Grizzlies layoff pending trade.
February 4, 2020 — Dillon Brooks says, “I can’t wait until we find a way to trade him so we can play him and show him what Memphis is all about.”
February 6, 2020 — Andre Iguodala is traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Miami Heat.
May 21, 2021 — Memphis Grizzlies eliminate Golden State Warriors in Play-In.
January 12, 2022 — Andre Iguodala gets booed in his return Memphis on the FedEx Forum.
March 28, 2022 — Tweets by Jaren Jackson Jr “Strength in numbers (Strength in numbers)’, the old motto of the champion Warriors, immediately after Golden State’s regular season victory.
May 1, 2022 — Game 1 of the playoff series between the Warriors and the Grizzlies.
May 3, 2022 — Gary Payton II breaks his left elbow after a flagrant II by Dillon Brooks. The Canadian is suspended and the Warriors player misses the next 10 Playoff games. Steve Kerr said Brooks “cracked the code.”
December 25, 2022 — Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks have an unlikely mental battle on Christmas Day.
March 3, 2023 — In an article for ESPN, Dillon Brooks says: “I don’t like Draymond at all. I just don’t like Golden State. I don’t like anything to do with them.”. Green answered his own podcast saying: “Rivalries are created when you win, I’ve won. Obviously, we’ve won four times and your organization has zero championships, so I can’t call it a rivalry.”
March 9, 2023 – Draymond Green gets close again with Dillon Brooks.
March 18, 2023 — The Grizzlies beat the Warriors in Memphis and Klay Thompson reminds Dillon Brooks how many rings he has:
“It’s not one, it’s not two, it’s not three, it’s four”
💍 Klay Thompson reminded Dillon Brooks how many times he was his champion #NBA pic.twitter.com/GIPCbXk0sa
— Sportingnewses Spain 🇪🇸 (@sportingnewses) March 19, 2023
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
