Although the final score indicates a relatively hard-fought game occurred on Saturday, that wasn’t really the case. In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed a 35-9 lead after a quarter and were never seriously threatened on the way to a 2-1 series lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Off the court, the game’s underlying story was how LeBron James would react to Dillon Brooks’ apparent call-out after Memphis tied the series at home on Wednesday.
Classic Dillon Brooks on his confrontation with LeBron James: “I don’t care. He’s old. … I poke bears. I don’t respect someone until he gives me 40.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2023
And Brooks had plenty more to say. pic.twitter.com/uWLONrubPZ
As a 38-year-old veteran whose seen his fair share of rival players much more deserving of his attention, James rightfully let it be known that his game would do the talking (explicit language below):
After generally side stepping questions about Dillon Brooks’ comments, LeBron James cut off his media availability with a simple message. pic.twitter.com/yVcWNWf5g4
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 21, 2023
“I’m not here for the b——-. I’m ready to play, and that’s it,” said James when asked about Brooks before Game 3. Apparently, Brooks was ready to play as well — for about a half. As he headed to the locker room after hitting LeBron in a sensitive area seconds into the third quarter, all I could do was laugh.
You see, I’m a fan of karma. It’s very satisfying when I see people get what they unintentionally asked for, and it seemed like Dillon was asking for it when he trash-talked as usual after an expected victory.
I’m not even a Lakers fan, but I’ve seen my fair share of Brooks’ antics, even in a meaningless victory over my favorite lottery-bound team last month.
Dillon Brooks continues chirping at everyone he possibly can after beating a lottery team in OT. Then Tre Jones goes up and gives him a hug. I'll let that speak for itself pic.twitter.com/fiqUWTk63G
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) March 18, 2023
The Los Angeles Lakers finally managed to shut Dillon Brooks up
While Ja Morant proved in the fourth quarter that this is still very much a series, I couldn’t help but be delighted when I saw a tweet from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon after the Lakers’ win.
Dillon Brooks declined an interview request. “I ain’t talking,” he told me.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 23, 2023
For as long as he’s been in the league, I can’t recall a time when Dillon Brooks was speechless.
At this point I’m getting second hand embarrassment from how hard Dillon Brooks is trying to be a villain. pic.twitter.com/aTYDbeQVYo
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) March 21, 2023
I fully expect the Memphis Grizzlies to still make this a competitive series. They could even prevail. They are the second seed in the Western Conference, after all. But the Los Angeles Lakers did the world a favor for at least one night.
Dillon Brooks poked the bear, alright. And that probably wasn’t the best idea.
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