Will Jusuf Nurkic be facing Draymond Green at the main event of Wrestlemania 40? It sure does feel like it as the two keep throwing barbs at one another in a manner reminiscent of a budding rivalry that would culminate in a bloodbath. For the Phoenix Suns big man, every opportunity to kick the Golden State Warriors forward when he's down is something he must take, which he did when Green appeared to sustain a minor head injury in the third quarter of their 130-125 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Nurkic, in the heat of the moment, quote tweeted the video of the collision that had Green crumpled on the floor. He then posted a Cillian Murphy Peaky Blinders GIF response to the Warriors star's reaction to the fracas, saying that Green is becoming soft for reacting the way he did.
Jusuf Nurkic is not the type to let sleeping dogs lie. The Suns center will surely continue to push Draymond Green to the brink, especially when he was on the receiving end of the violent blow that had the Warriors forward suspended indefinitely.
But this does sure feel like sour grapes for the Suns big man. After all, Nurkic wasn't able to goad Green into losing control during the Suns' most recent outing against the Warriors, a 113-112 defeat. During that contest, Nurkic was trying all sorts of ways to bait Green into a reaction that would land him in hot water with the NBA. He was playing physical, bumping into Green's chest multiple times, and he even used the “too small” taunt against him.
Green, however, did not engage in violence during the game. He mostly let his performance do the talking, although he was for sure fired up after the Warriors' victory against the Suns. But after the contest, everything was fair game for Nurkic and Green. The Warriors forward put the Suns center on blast not just in his postgame presser, but on his podcast as well.
This is definitely not the last we've heard of the budding Jusuf Nurkic and Draymond Green rivalry. Would someone please just give them the right platform to settle this beef?