Grizzlies pull petty move on Warriors during 51-point beatdown win
Feb 2, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts after a play during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Memphis Grizzlies got to bust out a favorite pastime of theirs during their absolute thumping of the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Memphis took care of business at home against Golden State, running their Western Conference rivals out of the gym by a final score of 144-93. The Grizzlies stormed out to a 23-point lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back from there, coasting to an easy win in which no starter played over 24 minutes. They also managed to hold both Steph Curry and Draymond Green without a single made field goal combined between the two of them on the evening (the first time that had ever happened).
As the final minutes were ticking away in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies got petty with their music selection at FedEx Arena. They started playing their old fan-favorite song “Whoop That Trick.”
Well, well, well would you look at that.
A “Whoop That Trick” during the 4th quarter of tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/o1rCMSK8NC
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) December 20, 2024
“Whoop That Trick” is a song from the 2005 film “Hustle & Flow,” which is set in Memphis. The song became a rallying cry of sorts for the Grizzlies over the years and was embraced by star player Ja Morant, in part as a means of trolling the Warriors.
But the song had been semi-retired in more recent years after opponents used it to troll the Grizzlies right back after winning games over them. The Warriors were among those teams with Curry quoting it during Golden State’s 2022 playoff victory over Memphis and Green even dancing to it during a game in that series.
The Warriors’ plan tonight, according to Steph? “Whoop that trick” @kendra__andrews joins NBA Today pic.twitter.com/0UblONl4dN
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 11, 2022
Steph Curry watching the PA play ‘Whoop that Trick’. Draymond Green enjoying it. pic.twitter.com/R2TP1AFnHT
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 12, 2022
After the Grizzlies licked their wounds last season with a 27-win campaign, they are back in a big way this season at 19-9 (No. 2 in the West). Grizzlies writer Lang Whitaker notes that this is the first time the team has played “Whoop That Trick” this year, and it couldn’t have come at a more fitting time in the middle of the smackdown victory over their single biggest NBA rivals in the Warriors.
