The NBA has had a fair share of villainous teams that almost every fan despises. The Detroit Bad Boys, the LeBron James Miami Heat, the Kobe-Shaq Lakers, and the Big 3 of Golden State Warriors in 2018 are just a few teams we can mention. There certainly is no denying that at least millions of basketball fans have once hated these teams in the past. While some people dislike them for being a rival of their favorite teams, some of these clubs are just blatantly getting extreme hatred. As of this season, if there is an award for the most hated team today, it would probably be given to the Memphis Grizzlies. But, what made the general public hate this young core so bad?
1. Jaren Jackson mocked the Warriors by tweeting “Strength in Numbers” after beating them in a regular season game
Just days before the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Grizzlies and the Warriors met in a very one-sided match with Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry not playing. After a blowout win against GSW, Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr. tweeted “Strength in numbers” as a way to mock the Warriors.
Strength in numbers 👏🏾
— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) March 29, 2022
Unfortunately, this tweet did not age very well because they were eliminated by the same team in the playoffs weeks later. The eventual 2022 NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, and Klay Thompson took the stage to clap back at Jackson Jr. with the Larry O’Brien championship trophy.
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2. Ja Morant: “I’m fine in the West” 👀👀👀
During an interview with ESPN, Malika Andrews asked Ja Morant which team would the Grizzlies would have to go through to win to which Ja specifically said “Boston Celtics”. He added that he is fine in the west, obviously saying that despite losing to the Warriors last year, he is still not afraid of any team in the Western Conference.
He might be right as the Grizzlies are the 2nd seed in the west, just right behind Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. However, the Western Conference is stacked with every team battling for the 2023 playoffs. Eventually, he’s going to have to go through the likes of the Mavericks, Kings, Warriors, Clippers, Suns, Pelicans, and even the Lakers.
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3. Dillon Brooks talking trash to Steph Curry by saying they’re already a “dynasty”
Honestly, Dillon Brooks might be out of his mind. Trash talk has been part of basketball for many years. While some players use this to get in their opponents’ skin, some are just talking utter nonsense.
Stephen Curry says Dillon Brooks said a ton of ‘crazy things’ to him: ‘He called himself a dynasty already’ https://t.co/9nbni7bBmc
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 14, 2022
While guarding Steph Curry in a game last May 2022, Dillon Brooks took the chance to talk trash to the greatest shooter of all time by saying that the Grizzlies are already a dynasty. Fans are infuriated with Brooks since Memphis hasn’t won anything yet and they’re already calling themselves a DYNASTY. Moreover, he is literally spitting blasphemy at the very guy that created a dynasty in California. Talk about barking in the wrong tree!
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4. Dillon Brooks wants no smoke against Shannon Sharpe
The most recent altercation the Memphis had was when Undisputed’s Shannon Sharpe had a heated argument with Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, and the Morants (Ja Morant and his father Tee Morant).
Sharpe started the feud with his huge words against Brooks and the Grizzlies immediately backed him up. The two parties made quite a scene during the halftime of the Lakers-Grizzlies match. Despite that, Shannon Sharpe publicly apologized for what he did days after the incident.
5. The narrative that the Grizzlies, especially Ja Morant, have become too cocky
People are surely quick to ride the bandwagon. Sure, this club has done a lot of wild things in the past. Dillon Brooks likes to talk a lot of trash and Ja Morant is being dubbed as “cocky” due to his showmanship and eagerness to win.
But, if we look at it from a different perspective, the Memphis Grizzlies are probably the best championship-contending team with a young core in the NBA. Led by superstar Ja Morant and supported by talented players like Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Dillon Brooks, this team has surprised everybody as they are one of the best teams in the league. Even without Ja, the team is doing pretty well against every team in the NBA. It’s safe to say that most teams in the NBA are afraid to face this young group of talented basketball players.
Do you agree with our hot take? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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