Dillon Brooks said he likes poking bears. He may have taken it a bit too far on Saturday.
Three days after Memphis Grizzlies guard LeBron James went after LeBron James with the loudest Game 2 trash talk, the Los Angeles Lakers turned the first quarter of Game 3 into a historic bloodbath. After 12 minutes of play, the score was 35-9.
It was bad, but Brooks was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul after hitting James with a clear low blow. He finished the game with seven points on 3-for-13 shooting in 19 minutes.
The Lakers tied for the largest lead in NBA playoff history to end the first quarter, according to an ESPN broadcast. It was the lowest scoring quarter for any team this season.
The stat sheet was dire for the Grizzlies heading into the quarter. As a team, they shot 3-for-25. Only one starter, returning Ja Morant, made a field goal. Had one assist for six turnovers. Brooks had zero points on 0-for-4 shooting, including one turnover.
Dillon’s Brooks was a joke against the Lakers
You know things aren’t going well when the SportsCenter Twitter account posts a picture of you.
As viewers at home watched the Grizzlies languish, only the tip of the iceberg of schadenfreude emerged.
The situation did not improve after the evacuation.
Dillon Brooks and LeBron James’ 1-sided beef
Brooks was already known as one of the NBA’s most avid trash talkers before the series, but dialed it back Wednesday after the Grizzlies pulled off a key win.
“I don’t care. He’s old. … I punch bears. I don’t respect nobody till they come and give me 40.”
James isn’t too interested in playing back and forth with a player whose resume obviously pales in comparison, even if that player has been a solid rotation piece with the Grizzlies for years.
When asked several times about Brooks on Friday, James mostly responded with one word before ending his presence, though he did say the following:
“The game is won between four lines. Always has and always will be.”
The two players had an exchange just before the game that somehow felt both friendly and tense at the same time, James smiling and shaking his head.
Fast forward a quarter, and James tied for the Lakers team lead with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and five rebounds.
