After 10 whole months of NBA action, we finally have our NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. Facing off against teams like the Nuggets and Grizzlies all the way to the Finals, the Warriors faced off against tough opposition in Boston Celtics, who had defeated the former champions, Milwaukee Bucks.
But the experience and quality ultimately prevailed as the Warriors were victorious in six games. The same was true in their series against the Grizzlies as well. Memphis, who were one of the youngest teams this season, exceeded many expectations finishing up with the second seed in the West.
Along with their run to the second seed, Memphis did have some great wins, and one of them came back on March 8th against the Warriors, who were without their iconic trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Grizzles trampled the Dubs back then with a 125-93 win. To mock the Warriors, Memphis’ big man Jaren Jackson Jr. even tweeted an old Warriors’ motto, “Strength in numbers.”
Strength in numbers 👏🏾
— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) March 29, 2022
Klay Thompson certainly kept all the receipts from the season. After winning his 4th NBA title, the 32-year-old called out the big man in a post-game presser.
"I can't wait to retweet that thing. Freakin' bum."
Klay's been keeping receipts 🤣 pic.twitter.com/WJReCAVukK
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) June 17, 2022
“There was this one player on the Grizzlies who tweeted ‘Strength in numbers’ after they beat us in the regular season, and it pissed me off so much. I can’t wait to retweet that thing. Freakin’ bum. I had to watch that. I’m like, ‘This freakin’ clown.’
“Sorry, that memory just popped up. Gonna mock us? You ain’t ever been there before. We’ve been there before, we know what it takes. So to be here again, hold that.”
The Warriors certainly shut all their doubters in some style with their incredible playoff run. This title run was surely the best way the Dubs could have clapped back at Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Grizzlies certainly are an enticing team in the Western Conference because of their deep rotation of players. Warriors also succeeded this season because of the same reason. While Memphis lacks experience right now, they are well-matched on paper with the Warriors, and the matchup between the two might be a constant feature in the Western Conference playoffs for years to come.
With players like Ja Morant leading the way and multiple other players like Desmond Bane stepping up, the Grizzlies might end up being the biggest challenge for the Warriors next season in the Western Conference.
