The two players on the Memphis Grizzlies who have gotten the most attention during this first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers are Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks. For Morant, that is expected as he is the Grizzlies’ star player, but Brooks has gotten as much attention for things other than great play.
It was Brooks who said he wanted to face off with LeBron James and the Lakers in the first round prior to the postseason beginning and it was also Brooks who called LeBron old following Game 2 of the series. But after being ejected in the Lakers’ Game 3 win for hitting James in the groin, Brooks chose not to speak with reporters.
Game 4 was a chance at redemption for the Grizzlies’ wing, but he again struggled, hitting just 4-of-11 shots from the field and 1-of-7 from deep as the Lakers took a 3-1 lead with a six-point overtime win. And once again after a loss, Brooks chose not to speak with the media, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
Dillon Brooks didn’t speak to reporters for the second straight game. “I’m out,” he said.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 25, 2023
And Brooks wasn’t the only Memphis player who left without speaking to reporters as Morant also declined to talk:
Ja Morant also skipped media availability.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 25, 2023
Most will likely be a bit more lenient on Morant, who struggled in Game 4 after an unbelievable performance on Saturday night in Game 3. The two-time All-Star finished with just 19 points on 8-of-24 shooting and was clearly in pain throughout the night while still dealing with a sore shooting hand. But Brooks will not receive any such treatment from Lakers fans or anyone else.
With the things he has said about LeBron so far, the pressure is on Brooks to deliver and he has failed to do so in this series, averaging just 11 points on 33.3% shooting from the field. Brooks’ role as an agitator is nothing new to the NBA, but the fact that he has not spoken following back-to-back losses to the Lakers, after saying what he said after Memphis’ Game 2 win, is going to rub many the wrong way.
There is nothing wrong with trash-talking and gamesmanship in sports, but players are expected to keep the same energy and face the music following losses and Brooks has failed to do that so far.
Lakers’ LeBron James calls it ‘pretty cool’ to record first career 20-20 game
While Brooks struggled, the player he has antagonized throughout this postseason, LeBron James, put forth another historic night in the Lakers’ overtime win. James finished with 22 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists for his first career 20-20 game and the Lakers star felt good about the effort.
“I’ve done some pretty cool things in my career, but I’ve never had a 20 and 20 before,” LeBron said after the game. “So that was pretty cool I guess.”
Even better was the Lakers coming out on top in Game 4 to head back to Memphis with that commanding 3-1 lead.
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