What Stephen Curry, Draymond Green said after the Warriors eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies
It was May 21 last year when the Memphis Grizzlies ended the Golden State Warriors’ season in the playoff tournament at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The win ended a four-year drought after the season and caused the Grizzlies to have higher expectations.
On Friday, 358 days later, the Warriors got their revenge in the same building that won 110-96 in Game 6 and claimed the series 4-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. All-Star point guard Ja Morant was put on the sidelines instead of hitting game-clinching baskets, and the Grizzlies left the field when their historic season ended
The Warriors, who are on their way to their sixth conference final since 2015, acknowledged their efforts with Draymond Green seeking Morant for hugs and words before the final buzzer. Green began the series being thrown out in Game 1 for an obvious mistake and ended up praising the Grizzlies for their match.
“It’s a group of young guys who’s hungry, they’s talented, they’re athletic. They got it,” Green said. “You know it’s going to be good to see their progress over the next few years and where they can take it because it’s an incredibly young team. You know they can be special. They can be really special.”
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There were, of course, some last-minute moments in a series that got heated on social media. Warriors fans shouted “Whoop That Trick” – the unofficial anthem of the Grizzlies and Memphis – in the fourth quarter as their team retired with a final 24-7 run.
Warriors rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga, who did not play on Friday, tweeted “Hov it” after the game. It served one kind response from Morant says “must earn some streaks first child” with a laughing emoji.
Green joined in with Grizzlies fans singing it during Game 5, saying it was good for Warriors fans to give a taste of their medicine back. Stephen Curry called it phenomenal and “part of the fun of the playoffs.”
But he also gave Morant props by calling him a “problem” and adding “heaven is the limit” for him. He agreed with Green that the Grizzlies have a bright future because they won 56 games this season and pushed the Warriors through a six-game series.
It added another chapter between these teams since the semifinals in 2015. Curry, Green and Klay Thompson are back from the matches that helped begin their championship dynasty.
There’s no telling what’s coming out of this version of the Grizzlies losing to the Warriors. But seeds were planted, and even though the Warriors got a refund for last season, they know something good is growing in Memphis to keep an eye on.
“There’s definitely an understanding that they made us better. I’m sure we made them better,” Curry said. “Who knows what’s going to happen along the way. But they want to be here for a long time just because they have a lot to do for them.”
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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com