There was plenty going on in Friday's NBA Cup game between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, with a physical and fiery contest that required plenty (and perhaps too much) referee intervention.
The Warriors came out with a 123-118 victory in their second NBA Cup game, but it was the officials who quickly became a talking point as the Grizzlies whittled down the margin to make it appear closer than the game really was.
Golden State forward Draymond Green was ejected in the closing moments following two technical fouls, while Steve Kerr was irate after the final buzzer before labelling the game "disgusting" in his post-game press conference.
The Warriors and Grizzlies may have rejuvenated their rivalry on Friday
It was a game befitting of two teams who have had a rather strong and notable rivalry in recent years. That may have died down somewhat particularly after Dillon Brooks left for the Houston Rockets in the 2023 offseason, yet Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins certainly added fuel to the fire in his own post-game comments.
Jenkins referred to the 'code' word when discussion Draymond Green's foul on rookie center Zach Edey during the third-quarter on Friday.
"So I know there's a code in this league, and I don't understand how that wasn't reviewed. Very disappointing," Jenkins told reporters after the game.
Jenkins was proven right in some degree, with the league announcing on Saturday that they had upgraded the foul to a flagrant penalty one upon review. Green had tripped up Edey from the floor as Memphis had looked to push the ball in transition.
But referring to the code was surely not a mistake from Jenkins after his counterpart had previously used it to describe one of his former players. Kerr stated that Brooks had "broke the code" following his flagrant two foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2 of the teams' playoff battle in 2022, with the defensive-minded guard left with a fractured elbow that saw him miss the rest of the series and the entirety of the Western Conference Finals.
Golden State fans have been left frustrated by an element of hypocrisy in Jenkins' comments, and it's fair to say that Green wasn't entirely thrilled either in making his thoughts known on social media. Perhaps it will stir up and rejuvenate the rivalry between the two teams, having really started when the Grizzlies beat the Warriors and eliminated them in the 2021 Play-In Tournament.
The two teams will meet twice more in the space of the next seven weeks, with their next matchup coming on December 20 at FedExForum.
