Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks’ ugly war of words has gotten physical as the pair tussled on the court in Thursday’s anticipated and feisty Grizzlies-Warriors matchup, just a day after the Warriors forward called the Grizzlies guard a ‘clown’.
With a little over a minute left in the first half, Brooks stole a Warriors inbound pass and converted a tough layup on Green, after teammate and guard Desmond Bane drilled a mid-range shot with the score at 57-74, in favor of the Grizzlies.
As Green recovered the ball, he clashed heads with Brooks, much to the delight of a sold-out crowd at FedEx Forum – home of the Grizzlies.
Both players showed incredible signs of self-restraint, especially Brooks, who had the basketball shoved into his face by the four-time Warriors All-Star. The Canadian did not seek to engage with his rival, preferring to keep his cool for a brief moment.
After Thursday night’s battle, Brooks suggested to TNT’s Jared Greenberg that he ‘should give the mic to Draymond, then we’ll talk about me… make him keep talking about me so I can play better.’
Warriors’ Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks, of the Grizzlies, clash heads during the first half
He later added: ‘That’s what I do, I talk. I told [Draymond] to keep that mic open. Keep doing his podcast, keep blogging, keep doing his thing off the court.
‘You know it’s cute, it’s fun for him.’
The 27-year-old Brooks got the last laugh on Thursday, with Memphis coming out on top with a memorable 110-131 blowout win. Green ended up with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds in Thursday’s away loss.
Brooks, meanwhile, finished the game with 14 points, six assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes of action. What’s more is that the Grizzlies and Warriors face off one last time this season, again in Memphis, on March 18.
In the fourth quarter, Brooks was also seen getting chippy with Steph Curry after the Warriors guard stepped out of bounds. The pair constantly exchanged words throughout Thursday night’s contest, as Brooks was given the task of guarding the four-time NBA champion on defense.
The latest beef between Green and Brooks, meanwhile, started last week, when the latter tore into the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year in an interview with ESPN. The Warriors’ four-time All-Defensive First Team waited until Wednesday to respond on his own podcast.
‘I don’t like Draymond at all,’ Brooks said on March 3. ‘I just don’t like Golden State. I don’t like anything to do with them. Draymond talks a lot. Gets away with a lot, too. His game is cool – with Golden State – but if you put him anywhere else, you’re not going to know who Draymond is.
‘He plays with heart, plays hard, knows the ins and outs of their defense. I guess that’s why they like him over there.’
Green riposted with a carefully thought, sentence-by-sentence analysis of Brook’s remarks in a two-minute-and-a-half clip ripping into the outspoken Grizzlies guard.
‘[Brooks] said, ”I don’t like Draymond at all.” You don’t know me. That’s number one,’ Green said on ‘The Draymond Green Show’ on Wednesday.
‘He said, ”I just don’t like Golden State.” I, quite frankly, wouldn’t like a team that beats me all the time either. That’s number two. ”I don’t want anything to do with them.”
Green & Brooks have beef against each other on-and-off court, as tempers flared on Thursday
On his podcast, Wednesday, Green called Brooks a ‘clown’ & said his teammates didn’t like him
‘Quite frankly, you were a little kid in high school watching us win championships. You should be happy that you even witnessed that … You’re a fan. That’s crazy.’
‘If you ever wondered why the Memphis Grizzlies is not ready to compete for a championship, look no further than this idiot right here,’ Green said. ‘They actually are depending on this guy to help them win a championship, and he says his game is cool. Quite frankly, that just shows how little you know about basketball. That’s where it gets really interesting.
‘Your level of understanding the game of basketball is at a fan level. And you’re running around talking about a dynasty? The dynasty starts after you, not with you. That’s just a fact. I know dynasty-like players. They aren’t clowns. That doesn’t work when building a dynasty.
‘Take it from me – I actually know! Clowns don’t work building a dynasty.’
‘I’m trying to figure out why they like you in Memphis,’ Green added. ‘Or do they like you in Memphis? I’m not sure your teammates like you. Doesn’t lead to winning. I can tell you why they like me [in Golden State]. When you contribute the way I have contributed to winning four championships, they tend to like you.
‘Next time you speak up on me, you should do some soul searching. Next time you speak up on me, I hope you’re in a better situation than you are now, where the guys you play with actually enjoy playing with you because they actually think you’re contributing to winning.’
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