For being one of the youngest teams in the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies surely do not lack confidence. Led by 23-year-old Ja Morant, the upstart Grizzlies have gone from a promising young team two years ago to a bona fide title contender, entering Wednesday night tied with the Denver Nuggets for first place in the Western Conference.
After the dissolution of the Grit N’ Grind era in Memphis, a steady rebuild was expected under first-time head coach Taylor Jenkins. Instead, they made the playoffs in his first season, then raced to the second-best record in the NBA last year before losing to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors in an eventful six-game Western Conference semifinal series.
As the face of one of the league’s best teams, Morant was recently asked by ESPN’s Malika Andrews which opponents he feels the Grizzlies must go through in order to win the title. He responded with the Boston Celtics, not much of a surprise given that they’re the defending Eastern Conference champions and currently lead the NBA in winning percentage.
When asked about Western Conference competition, however, Morant’s answer was much more curious: “Nah, I’m fine in the West.”
Pretty much every team in the Western Conference can use this as bulletin board material — entering Wednesday, just 6.5 games separated the No. 1 seed from the No. 13 seed — but it’s hard not to see this as yet another shot fired in the budding rivalry between Memphis and Golden State.
The Warriors have gotten off to a rough 15-17 start to the season, however, not only are they the defending champions, but they also eliminated Memphis last postseason. Logic would dictate that Morant would at least mention them when discussing roadblocks to a potential title. But no, Morant says he’s “fine” in the West.
In case you’re unaware, here’s a quick, Cliff’s Notes version of the beef between the two franchises. The Grizzlies beat the Warriors in the 2021 play-in game, sending Memphis to the playoffs and eliminating the Warriors. Players from both teams have engaged in spats both with public comments and via social media involving topics ranging from Andre Iguodala’s decision not to suit up for the Grizzlies and Dillon Brooks calling Memphis a “dynasty” and saying the Warriors are “getting old.”
Brooks also earned a suspension when his flagrant foul during Game 2 of the Grizzlies’ playoff series with the Warriors broke Gary Payton II’s elbow. After the Warriors beat the Celtics in June to win the NBA title, Klay Thompson cited a sarcastic “strength in numbers” tweet from Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., with Thompson calling him a “freaking bum.”
Given all of that backstory, it’s not hard to imagine that Morant consciously omitted the Warriors from his answer. Even if he didn’t, Golden State’s players will almost assuredly take it as a slight — after all, Steph Curry is the self-proclaimed “petty king.”
As if the upcoming Christmas Day matchup between the two teams in San Francisco needed any more fire, Morant’s comments add another WWE-style layer to the game. Unfortunately, Curry won’t be active due to his shoulder injury, but despite Golden State’s middling overall record, they’re an impressive 12-2 at home this season.
All signs point to a heated, competitive matchup on Christmas, which will serve as the latest chapter in a nascent rivalry.