The Los Angeles Lakers have survived the Play-In Tournament and are on to the first round as the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed. By defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron James and the Lakers have set up a first-round matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies and the infamous Dillon Brooks.
Brooks has garnered a reputation in the NBA for trash talk as he is not shy about his feelings when it comes to the Grizzlies against other teams. He also has no fear when it comes to the opponent, even if it’s someone with as great a stature as the 20-year veteran James.
In fact, prior to the Lakers even securing their spot against the Grizzlies in the first round, Brooks had no issue singling out the Lakers as a team he wanted to play, via ClutchPoints:
“I don’t really dislike anybody, I just bring a competitive edge. But I wouldn’t mind playing LeBron [James] in a 7-game series. The legacy is there. First time back in the playoffs, knock him out right away. It’ll test us good. They got good pieces, good players. That’ll be a good first-round matchup for us.”
Even as Brooks largely compliments James and the Lakers, he can’t help but throw in a comment about knocking L.A. out of the postseason quickly. Otherwise, he generally praises James and the entire Lakers roster that holds one of the league’s best records since the All-Star break.
Now that the Lakers are officially facing off against the Grizzlies, Brooks will have to back up his talk from earlier this week.
Brooks averaged 9.7 points per game on 24.4% from the field and 30% from three against the Lakers during the regular season. It’s only a three-game sample size, but it’s the second-worst field goal percentage Brooks had against any team in the NBA this season.
In their most recent matchup on March 7, the Lakers largely ignored Brooks defensively despite the Grizzlies missing Ja Morant. Brooks responded by going 5-for-17 from the field, 3-of-10 from three and finishing with 13 points. He was a game-worst minus-18.
James calls Play-In Tournament a playoff atmosphere
James credited the Laker fanbase after the team’s big win in the first game of the Play-In Tournament, calling the entire event a playoff atmosphere.
“It was definitely a playoff game. Playoff atmosphere. Playoff intensity. Refs allowed us to play. It felt like the playoffs,” James said. “So it’s good to get into the playoff feel of the game.”
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