Prior to their heartbreaking 105-104 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers last Sunday night, the Houston Rockets arrived at the Crypto.com arena with new faces on the roster. More specifically, Dillon Brooks.

Now Dubbed “Villain” on Instagram, Brooks received heavy amounts of boos from the Lakers faithful during pregame and starting lineup announcements. It wasn't too long ago when the Lakers upset the Memphis Grizzlies in last years playoffs. Brooks practically embarrassed himself not only on the court with underwhelming stats, but off the court during postgame interviews. During the Grizzlies win in Game 2, Brooks poked the bear that arguably set his ending for his NBA career.

Of course, this didn't help, especially with LeBron James completely outdueling Brooks in a pivotal Game 4. The all-time leading scorer finished with a brutal 22-point, 20-rebound game with seven assists, while Brooks finished with just 11 points on 1-of-7 shooting from three.

Massive boos towards Brooks immediately followed in Game 5. Initially known for his defense, Brooks struggled in the series, especially against James. Ironically, in Game 6, James answered Brooks' request. The Lakers blew out the Grizzlies by 40, moving on to the Western Conference Semifinals.

More Deja Vu for Dillon Brooks

During Saturday's away game, now sporting a new uniform, Dillon Brooks once again faced jeers from Laker fans. Despite a strong showing with 24 points, a 6-of-11 shooting performance from deep, and four steals, his defense against LeBron James was subpar.

Earlier this season, the Rockets faced the Lakers at home in the Toyota Center. As the primary defender against LeBron, Brooks witnessed James score 18 points and commit three turnovers, while being a -24 in a convincing 34-point Houston blowout. Aside from Rockets discussion among fans, Laker fans and NBA media overshadowed Brooks' defense while leaning more toward the Lakers playing poorly and not at full strength due to the injuries of Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Safe to say, Laker fans were deemed quiet. However, in the latest encounter on LA's turf, LeBron managed 17 points on a 65 True Shooting percentage, succeeded in 80 percent of his two-point attempts (8 out of 10), and dished out three assists without any turnovers under Brooks' defense. This put LA's fanbase into a trolling frenzy.

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Dillon Brooks' last key plays against the Lakers turned into the unfortunate icing on the cake. The game, tied at 100, saw Brooks giving Austin Reaves too much room, allowing him to sink a crucial long-range three, tipping the momentum back to LA. Alperen Sengun managed to tie the game again with a basket drive, but LeBron James then took control.

In an attempt to intercept a pass to James in the corner, Brooks failed, leaving James with an open path to draw a foul. James' subsequent free throw, part of his 37-point night, gave LA a one-point lead with only 1.4 seconds left. Without any timeouts left, Houston faced a tough inbound from their end. Unable to score, the Rockets' gut-wrenching loss led to a barrage of trolling towards Brooks from Laker fans on social media:

Even LeBron's teammate Rui Hachimura joined in on the fun:

“Whatever [Dillon Brooks] is doing, it doesn't do anything to [LeBron]… Brooks, just wants to be a part of [Bron's] legacy, I guess,” Hachimura said postgame.

Speaking of LeBron, his take on facing Dillon Brooks was quite the opposite. While he performed well against the former Grizzly, LeBron praised Brooks for his hooping and comeback mentality with the Rockets offense:

“[Dillon] He’s a great competitor. I like going against him,” James said. “And he was hooping tonight too, for sure. He was shooting the ball exceptionally well, kept them in the game. I think they were down seven at one point and he hit two big-time threes to keep them in the game in the fourth. So, that’s competition. Those young guys, they get me going. So, I need that.”

While LeBron enjoys this mainly because it keeps him young, it's certainly the opposite for Brooks. The 27-year old still laments the one-sided rivalry that began last season and uses it as a chip on his shoulder.

“I still feel the same way,” Brooks told Fox Sports Friday before the game. “It strikes fear into people when I start getting consecutive stops, they start putting their head down and pouting. It's just a mantra. Whoever looks into it on social media, they're already losing. I just play along with it and keep playing basketball.”

Brooks adding “Villain” on his Instagram bio definitely plays into NBA fans heads as we await for the next LeBron vs. Brooks matchup.