Green, Curry love Grizzlies fans chanting ‘Whoop That Trick’ during Game 5
Once Draymond Green finished his postgame press conference Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors forward softly said five words over and over as he left the room.
“Whoop that trick, get em. Whoop that trick, get em,” Green said.
Green and Stephen Curry couldn’t help but enjoy FedExForum crowd chanting “Whoop That Trick” during the fourth quarter of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 134-95 win in Game 5. It was Curry who told ESPN at shootaround the Warriors’ plan was to “whoop that trick,” implying they were going to win and end the Grizzlies’ season.
Instead, Curry watched the crowd chant the song while nodding with a towel wrapped around his head. Rapper Al Kapone yelled on the court, “In your face, Steph Curry!” and Green bobbed his head with the music.
He then took it up a notch when a dancer danced in Curry’s face to taunt him. Green waved a white towel along with the dancer in rhythm with the song. He then walked over to the edge of the court and kept waiving the towel along with the fans.
“They’re not going to Whoop That Trick alone, we going to Whoop That Trick together if we’re going to whoop that trick,” Green said.
It was a different tone than the last time both teams were in FedExForum. The Grizzlies won Game 2 but coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors left angry about Dillon Brooks “breaking the code” by fouling Gary Payton II midair, leading to a fractured elbow.
This time, there was no anger. Just fun as the Grizzlies cut their deficit to 3-2 heading back to San Francisco for Friday’s Game 6 (9 p.m., ESPN).
“It’s the best. It’s what this whole back-and-forth is about in terms of homecourt advantage and hostile crowds and you embrace all of that,” Curry said. “It’s fun. When you’re getting smacked, you got to find some fun in it.”
Green said he didn’t respect people who only talk trash or antagonize crowds when they’re winning because those are front-runners, which he said the Warriors weren’t. They understood the Grizzlies beat them with an inspired performance, and they know Game 6 won’t be easy either.
But in a series that was dominated by flagrant fouls, social media chatter and an injury to Ja Morant, the temperature cooled enough Thursday for both sides to appreciate the tension that’s comes from playoff basketball.
For Green, that meant joining in as FedExForum took joy at the Warriors’ expense.
“When you spew it out, you got to be willing to take it and not hide from it, not duck from it, not run from it, embrace it,” Green said. “So I appreciated the crowd tonight, the energy that they brought to the game. If they want to whoop that trick, we’re gonna whoop ‘em together.”