Credit: Rich Storry/Justin Ford via Getty Images

‘Fake hustle’… Draymond Green slams Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo for decisions vs OKC

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 4:44 PM ET

Draymond Green has his own playoff series to focus on, but that hasn’t stopped him from being vocal about some rivals.

In the first game of the Western Conference play-in tournament, the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies by five points. The Grizzlies would go on to dominate the Dallas Mavericks, clinching the eighth seed in the West and setting up a first-round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Predictably, the Grizzlies lost the first game of the series, falling 131-80. They entered the series exhausted and overmatched, and the Thunder didn’t have to put up much of a fight to beat them.

During their loss, one questionable coaching decision was made, which caught the attention of Draymond Green.

Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images

Memphis overworked its players after the game was lost

The Grizzlies were already down by 32 points at halftime, and the game was all but over. Rather than resting his best players for a bounce-back in Game 2, head coach Tuomas Iisalo played his key players well into the third, and in some cases fourth, quarter.

“Them guys were exhausted, man,” said Draymond Green. “I was surprised to see Trip [Jaren Jackson Jr] still in the game after the eight-minute mark in the third quarter, or anybody, for that matter.”

The Grizzlies, going up against a dominant Thunder team, have already been counted out of the series, and Iisalo should have known when to wave the white flag and get his players ready for the next game.

“You knew them guys was fried,” he continued. “That’s bad. That’s on the coach, that’s on the training staff. At half time, they almost should have thrown in the towel, and y’all are running them guys into the ground. That’s fake hustle.”

Memphis has long prided itself on not giving up ever, and values “grit” more than anything but Iisalo’s commitment to the culture was just absurd and could bite them later on in the series.

“Alright, it’s a playoff game, maybe you go ahead, eight minute mark of the third quarter, all them guys should have been sitting down, that’s where I’m at on that,” Green finished.

Grizzlies aim to bounce back against Thunder

On April 22, the Thunder will host Memphis in Game 2. In all eight games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Grizzlies are by far the biggest underdog, with a 14.5 point spread and +700 odds to win outright, according to FanDuel.

The next-closest team is the Orlando Magic, who have +530 odds to beat the Boston Celtics.

The Grizzlies fired longtime head coach Taylor Jenkins before the regular season ended, when Memphis was poised to make the postseason outright instead of having to fight through the play-in games. Under Iisalo, the Grizzlies went 4-5 to close out the regular season.

If Memphis loses in the first round, and it’s hard to imagine any other outcome, the Grizzlies have been urged to trade away Ja Morant and start from scratch, a full rebuild could be in order.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: