Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks elevated their rivalry to another level Thursday night, engaging in a really weird moment on the court and then trading barbs after the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Golden State Warriors, 131-110.
The two players had been jawing at each other in recent days. Grizzlies forward Brooks started the war of words last week, downplaying comparisons to Green by saying, “I don’t like Draymond at all.” Green fired back Wednesday on his podcast, calling Brooks an “idiot” and saying he’ll never be part of a championship team.
That set the stage for Thursday’s game in Memphis, and while the Grizzlies won in a rout, the Green-Brooks rivalry took center stage. In the second quarter, the two players came face to face during one play, and … things got weird.
While some fans might have expected one or both players to erupt in that situation, they kept their cool. But they each had plenty to say after the game.
“That’s what I do, I talk,” Brooks told TNT after the game. “I told him, keep that mic. Keep that mic. He’s better at the mic than hooping. Keep doing his podcast. Keep blogging. Keep doing his thing off the court. It’s cute it’s fun for him.”
Brooks told TNT’s Jared Greenberg to interview Green.
“You should give the mic to Draymond,” Brooks told Greenberg. “Make him keep talking about me, so I can play better.”
Green had his own message for Brooks, explaining why the Grizzlies are not rivals for the Warriors.
“One team has to win, and then another team has to win,” Green said (via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon). “That’s what creates a rivalry. Not because one team gets up for you and talks like they can beat you and then not. … Clearly, we’ve won four (championships) and I think their organization has zero championships, so I can’t consider that a rivalry.”
Oh, by the way, Green had 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the loss, while Brooks had 14 points, six assists and four rebounds.
In case you’re wondering, the Warriors and the Grizzlies meet again on March 18 in Memphis.
[TNT]