What Dillon Brooks said about LeBron James, Flagrant 2 ejection and Game 3 loss vs Lakers
LOS ANGELES — Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzles made his first comments on Sunday since Saturday’s Game 3 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Memphis forward declined to talk to reporters after the game. However he was the topic of conversation even though the Grizzlies trailed by 26 points in the first quarter and Ja Morant scored 45 points and added 13 assists.
Brooks made comments about LeBron James leading up to the game and was also ejected early in the third quarter after a Flagrant 2 foul against the Lakers star player. Brooks finished with seven points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Now, going into Game 4 on Monday (9 p.m., TNT, Bally Sports Southeast) many eyes will be on how Brooks and the Grizzlies respond.
“We got to be more of the aggressors early on,” Brooks said. “That’s really it.”
Here's are some takeaways from what Brooks said on Sunday.
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No regrets for comments on LeBron James
There wasn’t much love for Brooks from the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. He was booed after his comments on James, but Brooks wasn’t backing off of what he said. Brooks said he stated the facts when he called James, who is 38, old.
The Lakers started the game playing at an energy level that Memphis didn't match, so it was fair to wonder if Brooks' comments put a target on the Grizzlies.
“I’ve been talking all year,” Brooks said. “We just didn’t make shots at the beginning of the game. We weren't following the gameplan at the beginning of the game, and we were letting them do what they do: get in transition and rebounding the basketball on the offensive end.”
Reaction to Flagrant 2 ejection
Brooks said he wasn’t given an explanation after he was ejected with 11 minutes, 43 seconds left in the third quarter. The referees determined that Brooks’ contact was excessive, but indicated he was making a play on the ball. When Brooks attempted to go for the steal in anticipation of a crossover dribble, James dribbled the ball behind his back.
Brooks watched the second half from the Grizzlies' locker room after his ejection.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” Brooks said. “I love the matchup. I bring a defensive presence, so it’s kind of tough watching it out there.“
Dillon Brooks opens up on villain role
After initially shying away from being the villain, Brooks has full on embraced the role he says was given to him by media.
People around Brooks describe him as a completely different person off the court, but his trash talking and competitiveness are what NBA fans have become accustomed to seeing. Being a villain has its positives and negatives. When Brooks shuts down one of the NBA’s top scorers, he’s praised and gets a lot of credit, but when he has an inefficient shooting performance like Saturday, he can become one of the NBA’s biggest punching bags.
“I’ve been dealing with this for two years now,” Brooks said. “It is what it is. The fans can talk (expletive) whenever they want to. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to keep playing my game and get better and better each and every day as long as my career goes.”
Brooks has said in the past how he believes his reputation has factored into fouls and technical fouls in games. He described it as the reason he was hesitant about becoming welcoming of the villain role.
“I knew this was going to happen,” Brooks said. “Now it’s like, who cares? I’m going to take all the publicity, take all whatever you guys say and whatever it is and run with it.”
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Dillon Brooks of Grizzlies addresses being portrayed as an NBA villain
