LeBron James has always had a huge target on his back; that, simply, is the way of life for one of the best basketball players of his generation. After all, outplaying the King is close to impossible, so winning the mental warfare seems like the best way to throw him off. And that's exactly what Dillon Brooks is trying to do during and after the Memphis Grizzlies' 103-93 Game 2 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to tie up the series at one game apiece.
All Wednesday night long, Brooks and James were exchanging barbs on the court, with the Lakers star not backing down against the Grizzlies wing's incessant yammering. James talked some smack towards Brooks after making a three-pointer right in his grill, while Brooks jawed at James and stared him down tirelessly. But it didn't end there.
After the game, Dillon Brooks proceeded to fan the flame even further. While that may be a bad idea for the Grizzlies, Brooks clearly does not care, as he said, in a deadpan manner, that the Lakers star is already old and that he doesn't respect anyone until they drop 40 on his head.
It may be hard to believe, but a player that already isn't on the best of terms with the majority of fans around the NBA received even more vitriol after making some remarks that could come back and haunt the Grizzlies. After all, LeBron James has a razor-sharp memory, so it may not be the best idea to give him some bulletin board material for Game 3.
dillon brooks thinks he is more important than he is. lebron is the all time leading scorer he proved it to the world. he doesn’t have SHIT to prove to this pitbull tho 😭😭😭 https://t.co/wh89guW4X7
— no cameras please (@heavybagofrice) April 20, 2023
I'd say bet the over on Bron getting 40 next game, but Dillon Brooks' respect is the last thing LeBron's after so I doubt he'll care enough… but then again… he might just do it just to shut Dillon Brooks tF up. So yeah, bet the over on Bron getting 40 lol https://t.co/kSi7PNVrC5
— Chris D. – 'Stephen A. Chris' (@bklyn_prince) April 20, 2023
Dillon Brooks gonna be having nightmares about Lebron dropping 40 on his ass after game 3.
— NBAMVP (@NBAMVP) April 20, 2023
Dillon Brooks is a menace lol. LeBron prob gonna light him up now. https://t.co/lo0MSMnX2X
— Len G (@Bronco_LG) April 20, 2023
https://twitter.com/LockdownJaire/status/1648896098910478336?s=20
Of course, these things don't tend to go well for a player in Dillon Brooks' shoes. This is not the Lakers star's first rodeo when it comes to dealing with postseason irritants. LeBron James, most notably, had to deal with Lance Stephenson for a few years back when he was with the Miami Heat. He even dealt with Deshawn Stevenson (although Stevenson gained the upper hand over him during the 2011 NBA Finals) and Joakim Noah (Noah, however, was an All-Star caliber pest, unlike the others.)
Tune into Game 3 of the Lakers and Grizzlies' heated first-round matchup to see how James responds — and whether Brooks finally regrets running his mouth.
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