Blake Griffin says Clippers-Warriors rivalry is milder in preseason

The Clippers and Warriors’ rivalry often manifests itself in heated exchanges, physical play and hard fouls.

The teams will play Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center in their first exhibition of the season. Will the intensity spill over in the preseason?

“Eh, I don’t really know,” Blake Griffin said. “I don’t think it will be quite the same atmosphere.”

After the Clippers beat the Warriors in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs last season, the teams exchanged some words in the hallway outside of their locker rooms.

When asked about the incident, Griffin played it down.

“It wasn’t really anything,” he said. “I wasn’t actually in the hallway, so this was kind of hearsay. But I heard it was just kind of a misunderstanding, so I don’t think it was even that big of a deal.”

The Warriors thought that Glen “Big Baby” Davis played “dirty,” in that series, injuring Jermaine O’Neal’s knee in Game 6. In March, O’Neal and Griffin exchanged words after a game, and Griffin told O’Neal to “Leave that [stuff] on the court.”

Sure, the preseason doesn’t count for much. But it’s always interesting when two teams with history and charge meet.

Twitter: @melissarohlin