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Draymond Green says Warriors-Grizzlies isn’t a rivalry because Memphis has won ‘zero championships’

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated10 Mar 2023

Draymond Green says Warriors Grizzlies isn't a rivalry because Memphis hasn't won anything

On Thursday night, Draymond Green made it clear that Warriors-Grizzlies isn’t a rivalry, following a 131-110 loss to Memphis. The reason? The four-time All-Star says it’s true because the Grizzlies haven’t won any championships.

“One team has to win, and then the other team has to win. That’s what creates a rivalry,” said the Golden State forward. “Not because one team gets up for you and talk like they can beat you and then not. That doesn’t create a rivalry.”

Referring to a couple of NBA betting sites, the Warriors possess fifth-shortest odds to win the championship. Some sportsbooks are giving the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets better odds.

“Rivalries are created by you win, I win,” added Draymond Green. “And clearly, we won four times, and I think their organization has zero championships. So, I can’t consider that a rivalry. Anybody can win in March. What that mean? I have a hard time getting out of my bed in March.”

While wins in the regular season mean little, it should concern Golden State fans that the Dubs struggled against a Memphis team without Steven Adams, Ja Morant, and Brandon Clarke, who suffered a season-ending left ACL tear in last Friday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Seven-time All-Defensive member Draymond Green believes Warriors-Grizzlies isn’t a rivalry because Memphis hasn’t won any championships

The Warriors surrendered 48 points in the opening quarter. Stephen Curry ended his performance with 29 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Poole contributed 22 points, and Klay Thompson also closed out his outing with 14 points in 28 minutes played.

Draymond Green logged 16 points, five boards, seven assists, and three steals in 31 minutes of action. He finished 5-of-9 (55.6%) shooting from the floor and a flawless 6-of-6 (100%) at the foul line.

Now, Golden State is 2-1 against Memphis this season. The Warriors won 123-109 on Dec. 25 and 122-120 on Jan. 25. In the 2021-22 regular season, the Grizzlies finished 3-1 against the Bay Area contender. Of course, the playoffs were a whole different animal. Draymond Green has a point.

During the second round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors defeated Memphis in six games. Despite Morant’s 47-point effort for the Grizzlies in Game 2, Golden State went on to win three of the last four games of the series.

Until Memphis defeats the Dubs in a playoff series, perhaps it’s not much of a rivalry. But there’s plenty of drama to go around, especially with Draymond Green on the court.

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