Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Courtney Lee is calling out the Oracle Arena faithful.
When asked if FedExForum, the Grizzlies' home building, will be louder than the Golden State Warriors' famed Oracle Arena, Lee answered cheekily.
"Oh, by far, by far, by far - without the volume pumped in the audience," Lee told Diamong Leung of the Bay Arena News Group.
Lee, however, wasn't exactly forthcoming when Leung requested he expand on his suggestion that the Warriors are adding artificial crowd noise into Oracle.
"I'm not saying it," Lee said. "I’m just saying that we don’t use that. What was that other team? Oklahoma City got caught for doing that? You know what I mean? I’m just saying we don’t do that. Our fans is just there supporting with the towels, and they’re screaming, and it’s naturally loud there."
Lee's comments came on the heels of those made by New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams, who complained about the volume inside Oracle, jokingly suggesting that the decibel level in the arena might not be legal.
The Warriors swept the Pelicans in Round 1.
Golden State's home crowd is widely considered the best in the league, as evidenced by the Warriors' 42-3 record at home this season. Oracle patrons have also proven vindictive at times, as they mercilessly booed Grizzlies first-team All-NBA defender Tony Allen in Game 1.
Their vitriol will likely be directed toward Lee in Game 5.
Through Games 1 and 2, Lee is averaging 12 points and two rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game. The Grizzlies-Warriors series is tied 1-1.
