SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — The playoff series between the Warriors and the Grizzlies has come to be defined by hard fouls, injuries, ejections and a ton of trash talk between the two locker rooms.
And the fans are no exceptions.
“We beat the smack out of them last game. We hope to repeat that smackdown,” said Warriors fan John Jefferson who plans to watch tonight’s game in Thrive City, the open-air watch party outside Chase Center.
But while some just see the intensity of playoff basketball, others fear we’re witnessing an erosion of sportsmanship.
“It’s playoff basketball. You have to fight for every loose ball. You got to battle. There’s a championship on the line. Some plays were a little bit dirty, especially the foul on Gary Payton” said fan Erik Dani, who was in attendance for Game 3 at Chase Center.
The playoff series got off to an exciting, intense and sometimes ugly start. Draymond Green was ejected from Game 1 for a hard foul before halftime.
Emerging Warriors star Gary Payton II was clobbered on a fast break dunk early in Game 2. He suffered a fractured elbow and Memphis guard Dillon Brooks was ejected and suspended for one game.
And with two pivotal players — one of them a superstar in Ja Morant — already out injured, there is concern about what might be next.
“There’s not as much contact as football, but it’s a contact sport. People have things to prove out there. Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to go to the next round. Injuries are a possibility, but I hope not,” said Warriors fan Janice Robinson.
The Warriors have an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series Monday night. But standing squarely in their path back to the conference finals is a hobbled but hungry Memphis team with a lot to prove and a lot of fight left.
“This is an awesome rivalry in the making. It’s a physical battle but also a mental one,” Jefferson said.
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