Another Western Conference semifinal game, another controversial injury -- and more expert analysis from Chris Mullin.
The Warriors’ blowout 142-112 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at Chase Center provided drama for a third consecutive contest after Game 1 saw Draymond Green ejected and Game 2 dealt a devastating injury to Gary Payton II.
The topic of conversation following Game 3 revolved around not only Golden State’s offensive explosion, but also Ja Morant’s right knee injury that forced him out of the game in the fourth quarter.
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Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins suggested Jordan Poole was responsible for the injury after the two guards made contact during a play, with Poole appearing to grab Morant’s knee while going for a loose ball.
After the game, Morant tweeted -- then deleted -- a video of the play along with “broke the code,” seemingly referring to Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s comments about Dillon Brooks after his Flagrant 2 foul on Payton in Game 2.
During NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Live: Playoff Edition” following the Dubs’ win, host Bonta Hill showed Morant's tweet -- and Mullin had an opinion.
“You can look all you want, but the play is the play,” Mullin said. “Look, we want [Morant] to be 100 percent, right, because we love watching him play.
“But this was not a malicious play, and just get well soon Ja, and hopefully we’ll see you Monday 100 percent.”
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It’s safe to say the Hall of Famer knows a thing or two about what constitutes a dirty play, and in Mullin’s eyes, Poole had no ill intent.
Mullin’s tone was much different toward Brooks after he knocked a defenseless Payton to the ground and broke his elbow in Game 2, when he said a play like that would provoke a “major brawl” during a pickup game.
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And it wasn’t just Mullin who came to Poole’s defense. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry scoffed at accusations from Memphis that Poole grabbed at Morant’s knee to try and injure him during their postgame press conferences, and Poole himself said it was nothing more than a “basketball play.”
There’s certainly a difference between playing with malice and giving each play your all, and both Mullin and the Warriors have made it clear they believe Poole is guilty of the latter.