Warriors vs. Clippers, three years of a heated rivalry

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

It all started three years ago.

Long before the Golden State Warriors actually won an NBA title, it bothered Chris Paul to no end that this team that won 23 games the season before had acted as if they’d been crowned the champs after an early November win against his upstart Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.

“The first time they beat us here, you would have thought they won the NBA Finals,” Paul said after the Clippers avenged the loss at home two months later.

From there, this clash of the NBA’s next-best-thing teams has evolved into one of the league’s most entertaining rivalries. On Wednesday at Oracle Arena, two of the league’s three remaining undefeated teams face off for early-season supremacy.

The talk in "The Town," as the locals call the Warriors’ home of Oakland, is about Clippers coach Doc Rivers and his early October remarks about Golden State getting lucky last season. He said nothing of the sort in an interview with Grantland, simply pointing out that circumstances always come into play in a title run. But such is life when it comes to Warriors-Clippers, a fiery matchup that never seems to lack for fuel.

These last three years have taught us that much.

While the title gives the Warriors the ultimate trump card, they certainly haven’t forgotten how the Clippers ended their season in a seven-game, first-round playoff series the year before. Since the start of the 2012-13 season, the Warriors own the overall edge (11-8 including regular season and the playoff matchup, 8-4 in the regular season alone and 8-1 at Oracle Arena).

The respective head coaches may have changed during that span, but Clippers vs. Warriors, with all the subplots, is as good as it gets. In honor of the latest meeting, here’s a record of their rivalry in the form of game breakdowns - and the drama therein - from all 19 matchups.

Nov. 3, 2012: the Warriors beat the Clippers at the Staples Center, 114-110.

Video of the postgame scene doesn’t show a title-worthy celebration, but Paul saw it differently. We didn’t know it at the time, but the seeds of discontent had been planted. By the time this season was done, the Warriors – who won three of four matchups against the Clippers in all – had earned their spot as worthy foes for this exciting young Clippers squad. What's more, the Warriors' annoyance with Blake Griffin's histrionics would be off and running. Midway through the fourth quarter, after the Clippers big man had fallen forward when David Lee pushed him for a rebound and then went out of his way to bump the Warriors forward as he tried to inbound the ball, Lee could be seen yelling, "Stop flopping!"

Jan. 2, 2013: the Warriors beat the Clippers at Oracle Arena, 115-94.

The schedule makers did us all a favor when they pitted these two teams together three times in the span of 19 days – no time for wounds to heal before they were at it again.

The Warriors won in a rout, and enjoyed themselves all along the way -- never moreso, of course, than when Griffin shot a corner three-pointer off the side of the backboard midway through the third quarter and sent the Warriors bench, led by the since-departed Kent Bazemore, into hysterics.

This wasn’t just random reveling in an opponent’s failures, though. The Warriors had already been irritated by Griffin.

Just minutes earlier, Griffin hit the deck hard on a dunk attempt when he was grabbed by Festus Ezeli on the way up. Ezeli received a Flagrant 2 and was ejected, but then-Warriors coach Mark Jackson would get his verbal revenge later when he suggested that Griffin had embellished the contact.

“He’s a great actor,” Jackson said of Griffin. “I’ve seen those KIA commercials.”

Warriors coach Mark Jackson on Blake Griffin's antics: "He's a great actor. I've seen those Kia commercials." — Antonio Gonzalez (@ByAntonioG) January 3, 2013

Jan. 5, 2013: Clippers win 115-89 at the Staples Center.

In the hours leading up to Paul sharing his view on the Warriors’ faux-Finals celebration two months before, the drama between the two teams had been at its peak.

And Jackson was at the center of it again, staring down Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan after a pair of alley-oop dunks from Paul in the third quarter put the Warriors in a 38-point hole.

“It was just a good, old-fashioned, heavyweight championship staredown,” Jackson said afterward.

As an eye-opening aside, the Warriors’ Stephen Curry had a minus-31 rating in that game.

Jan. 21, 2013: Warriors win 106-99 at Oracle Arena.

From Jordan shoving Draymond Green into the stands after he was fouled right before halftime to Curry irritating the Clippers with his post-three-pointer celebrations in the fourth, the fireworks continued in this one. And the Warriors, who had won for the third time in their four matchups against the Clippers, were again accused of being too braggadocios for their own good.

"That's a young team that's improving, for sure, but we have our sights set on trying to play in June," Clippers guard Jamal Crawford said afterward. "I'm not saying they don't. But we're looking at bigger goals than celebrating everything."

Oct. 31, 2013: Clippers win 126-115 at Staples Center.

Even with the Clippers offseason coaching change from Vinny Del Negro to Rivers, this much was still the same: Their rivalry had become personal. How could you tell? Because the bad blood spilled over into pregame chapel, of all places.

While teams typically share spiritual space inside the arena, a report surfaced not long after the Clippers’ win that the Warriors had been given a separate time for chapel. The friction, not surprisingly, had come to fruition during the game as well.

Jackson and Griffin had an I-bump-you-you-push-me moment during an inbounds play that sparked a stern conversation from both parties about – stop us if you’ve heard this before – sharing space. Bogut and Jordan had a shoving match that nearly led to good, old-fashioned fisticuffs, with the Warriors big man hollering, “Come on!” while teammates kept them apart.

"Both teams don't really like each other," Paul said so succinctly after this one. "It is what it is."

Dec. 25, 2013 – Warriors win 105-103 Oracle Arena.

The shared disdain was out in the open by this point, so it was only natural that things would get even uglier. The fact that the hatred reached a boiling point on Christmas made it all the more priceless.

Chapel, not surprisingly, was held at separate times yet again.

As the third quarter came to a close, with Klay Thompson crossing half court and Clippers players closing in during those final seconds, Green let loose a backhand with his left arm that struck Griffin square on the chin. He could be seen telling officials that Griffin had punched him first, but Green was ejected with a Flagrant 2 penalty while Griffin, who was given a technical foul, played on.

For a few plays, anyways.

Soon after, Bogut and Griffin got into a wrestling match while fighting for a rebound and the technical fouls that ensued meant the Clippers forward was gone.

“If you look at it, I didn’t do anything and I got thrown out of the game,” Griffin said afterward. “It all boils down to (the officials) fell for it. To me, that’s cowardly. That’s cowardly basketball.”

The bitterness had been there until the bitter end, when Paul – after the final buzzer sounded – grabbed the ball out of Bogut’s hands and sparked yet another round of shoving and shouting. The Warriors’ Harrison Barnes bumped Paul while standing between the two men, and then-Clippers small forward Matt Barnes pushed Bogut from behind.

There was, shockingly, no drama as the teams split their final two regular-season games. The playoffs, even with Bogut being out of the mix with a broken rib, would be a different story.

Jan. 30, 2014: Warriors win at Oracle Arena, 111-92.

By Warriors-Clippers standards, it was a snoozer. No arguing. No technicals or flagrants. No fiery fun, in other words. Golden State held the Clippers to 40.8% shooting and won going away in balanced fashion.

March 12, 2014: Clippers win at Staples Center, 111-98.

The Clippers were rolling, and the Warriors simply couldn’t get out of their way. The win was their ninth in a row during what would become an 11-game winning streak (they won 17 of 19 in that span). On the floor, it almost seemed as if the Clippers' all-business approach meant they were able to minimize the extracurricular activities.

"This is the time of year when you want to be playing your best," Griffin said. "Our fight has been great. Whoever is on the court ... up 10 or down 10, I think we've come to a point where it doesn't really matter. We stick together and try to pull it out."

But off the floor afterward, typical Clippers-Warriors fare ensued. Reserve big man Jermaine O'Neal, who had mixed it up with Griffin during the game, reportedly confronted him in the Staples Center hallway as he posed for pictures with fans. When Griffin told him to "Leave that on the court," O'Neal replied, "Man, I'm a monster off the court."

Five weeks later, it was time to see which team would be scarier in the playoffs.

Game 1, April 19, 2014: Warriors win 109-105 at Staples Center.

Paul and Griffin’s foul trouble, coupled with 42 combined points from Thompson and David Lee, got the job done for Golden State. And in the latest installment of Warriors-Clippers silliness, we had Blake dousing a Warriors fan with a cup of water after he fouled out with 48 seconds to go.

Game 2, April 21, 2014: Clippers win 138-98 at Staples Center.

The Clippers won going away, and the Warriors’ frustration boiled over in the fourth when Marreese Speights barreled through a Glen Davis screen and sparked a war of words that led to double technical fouls. With 42 seconds left, then-Warriors reserve Jordan Crawford received a flagrant one foul when he bumped Darren Collison into the scorer’s table as he brought the ball up.

Game 3, April 24, 2014: Clippers win at Oracle Arena, 98-96.

The most memorable moment came at the very end, when Curry’s three-ball from the left wing that would have won it fell short and everyone in blue and gold cried foul. Paul had defended the play well, but he appeared to make contact with Curry’s hip as he released. Considering Curry’s track record as a shooter, the airball seemed to indicate as much.

When it came to conflict, there was a Barnes body slam of Andre Iguodala in the first quarter as they jostled for a rebound (earning him a flagrant one) and a Green flagrant foul when he hammered Griffin on his way up for a layup.

Game 4, April 27, 2014: Warriors win at Oracle Arena, 118-97.

Curry hit seven three-pointers as the Warriors evened the series, and there were no dust-ups, but that wasn’t the headline on this night. This was the first game after the Donald Sterling controversy broke.

This unseemly story had a ripple effect across the league, and the TMZ-exposed racism eventually led to the Clippers ownership change and Steve Ballmer’s league-record $2 billion purchase during that summer. There was still a series to be played.

Game 5, April 29, 2014: Clippers win at Staples Center, 113-103.

The awfulness of the Sterling situation still loomed large, but no incidents on the court. Jordan came up even bigger, though, finishing with 25 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks. Clippers up 3-2.

Game 6, May 1, 2014: Warriors win at Oracle Arena, 100-99.

The Warriors held on to force Game 7, largely because of Curry’s 24 points and nine assists. But in the second quarter, Glen Davis barreled over O’Neal while hitting the glass, ending his night with a sprained right knee on the play that he would later deem dirty.

"I mean, I'm not going to go try to dive into somebody's legs -- it wasn't a scramble for the ball," O’Neal said. “I respect people's ability to come out and perform and take care of their family based on their bodies. Either he has terrible balance as a pro athlete, or that was a dirty play. God don't like ugly."

It wasn’t the first time O’Neal had made some non-basketball noise in the series. In Game 2, his back-and-forth with his old Celtics coach, Rivers, had earned double technical fouls.

Game 7: May 3, 2014: Clippers win game and the series at Staples Center, 126-121.

Paul (22 points, 14 assists, four steals) and Griffin (24 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals, three blocks) led the way in the emotional series clincher, but the action didn’t end with the final buzzer. A shouting match ensued in the hallway that connects both locker rooms afterward – again, sharing space was a problem. No punches were thrown, but the situation that involved several players was heated enough that the in-house police were called in.

A season’s worth of Warriors-Clippers theatre had finally come to an end.

Nov. 5, 2014, Warriors win 121-104 at Oracle Arena.

Curry, Green and Thompson combined for 71 points, and the Warriors landed the first Clippers win of the 2014-15 season in convincing fashion. With coach Steve Kerr now at the helm, it was clear from the start that they were a vastly-improved team. And to Rivers' credit, he wasn't afraid to say as much - and much, much more.

"What we found (out) is that they’re way better than us right now," he said. "It’s not even…if this was a playoff series, we’d lose in four games. It would be a destruction."

When asked about his postgame message to his team, Rivers said, "I didn’t say much. I just let them blow smoke up each other’s asses. That’s all they did, in my opinion. I just think if you're going to talk, you've got to be real. I’m not a big fan of group meetings unless they’re real group meetings. I think we’re getting close with the talk today, bet we’re not there."

The Warriors’ swagger was clearly growing and Green was leading that charge. Exhibit A: he hits a three-pointer over Griffin’s outstretched arm in the third quarter to push the lead to 75-46, then sticks his tongue square in his face – nearly making contact – as they ran back down the floor.

Dec. 25, 2014, Clippers win at Staples Center, 100-86.

The Clippers’ defense got it done in their second straight Christmas Day meeting, holding the Warriors to 42.5% shooting from the field and 21.4% overall (Curry and Thompson were a combined 3 of 15). There were no fireworks in this one, but it was a reminder to the Warriors that their was plenty of work left to be done.

"We're not invincible," Curry said. "We have to play the way we're supposed to play - at our highest level - in order to win games. It you don't, you're susceptible to getting beat.”

March 8, 2015, a Warriors win at Oracle Arena, 106-98.

The Green/Thompson/Shaun Livingston-led win improved the Warriors' record to 49-12. And this time, it was more about the highlight of the night than it was low-blows.

Early in the third quarter, Curry danced through three defenders – through the legs, around the back, dribble out beyond the arc – and fired a turnaround three from the top that left Kerr raising his arms in confusion. Until, of course, the shot went in.

“That could be the greatest move I’ve ever seen live,” TNT analyst and former head coach Jeff Van Gundy said on the telecast.

And yet again, the antics didn’t end when the balls stopped bouncing. As Green discussed the win and his 23-point night in a live postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, Clippers reserve guard Dahntay Jones bumped into him as he left the floor. Green bit his tongue in the moment, but teed off on Jones in the Warriors locker room.

“I think he wanted a reaction from me,” Green said. “But he don’t play, so me getting suspended and him getting suspended is different. When you don’t play, that’s probably his role on that team. I’ve had that role once before in my career – a couple years ago – but I can’t afford to feed into that.”

Jones insisted the bump was accidental, telling reporters of Green the next day, "Somebody had a good game and wanted a little bit more attention." Rivers weighed in with a quip, too.

"Wow, that was such a violent bump," he joked. "I'm telling you. It was amazing. I told Dahntay, 'You've got to be careful. That was too hard.' I guess that tough guy at Golden State, I mean, I think the bump was too hard for him, clearly, the way he reacted."

When asked about Rivers' comment on San Francisco sports station, KNBR, Green called on Doc's birth name in his response, "Cool story, Glenn."

March 31, 2015, a Warriors win at the Staples Center, 110-106.

Curry and Thompson combined for 52 points, and the Warriors improved to 61-13. But all the talk in The Town was about Curry’s baseline ankle-breaking move against Paul in the late second quarter. To Paul’s credit, he took it in stride, even sharing a Twister-themed meme of his humbling via Instagram – sent to him by comedian/close friend Kevin Hart.

“Hey @kevinhart4real out of the 8 you sent me, this was the funniest one!! Now relax lol#GotMe#GottaLaughAtYourself,” Paul wrote in the caption.