Clippers and Warriors Were Involved in Verbal Scuffle in Hallway After Game 7

That Clippers-Warriors series—which the Clippers eked out in seven games—was hard-fought and aggressive, so it should come as no surprise that emotions were running high when Game 7 wrapped up Saturday night. According to USA Today, minutes after the final buzzer sounded, some members of both teams had some words in a Staples Center hallway:

According to three people with knowledge of the situation, the teams that went back and forth in a brilliant Game 7 of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night (a 126-121 Clippers win) followed the on-court action by engaging in a heated verbal back-and-forth in the tunnel that connects the locker rooms at Staples Center.

[…] The incident came in two waves, with most of the Warriors in the hallway at one point along with several Clippers. The police were called to assist, though it’s not believed any punches were thrown.

While all the details of the situation were not immediately clear, it’s believed that Warriors big man Marreese Speights was among the aggressors for the Warriors while point guard Chris Paul was allegedly the irritant for the Clippers — though maybe even in silence. As was described by the witnesses, Paul came along as the incident appeared to be dying down and his mere presence picked things up again.

For all the talk of Blake Griffin and how he gets under his opponents’ proverbial skin, Paul is the one who has been driving the Warriors mad for quite some time now. He wasn’t alone, though, as Matt Barnes and Glen Davis were also among the other Clippers players seen at the scene. The Warriors’ Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Curry and Steve Blake were also involved, with Golden State coaches — including head coach Mark Jackson — eventually coming out when the situation escalated.

As the Warriors had to swallow the loss and saw their season come to an end, there was loud celebrating in the hallway not far from where they stewed and perhaps some choice words from sources unknown that sparked their rage. Then, one person said, a loud remark was made several times into the Warriors locker room about how quiet it was inside and that prompted several Warriors players and coaches to come out. The Warriors, who found only Clippers ballboys when they first left their locker room, were under the impression that it came from a Clippers assistant coach.