Getty Dillon Brooks guards LeBron James
After the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 2 to the Memphis Grizzlies on April 19, LeBron James got brutally disrespected by Dillon Brooks.
Brooks called James “old.”
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.”
And Brooks had plenty more to say.
James and Brooks got into it in Game 2 during the third quarter. The two players clearly don’t like each other.
Brooks told reporters before the Lakers won their play-in game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves that he wanted to face James and knock the four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP out of the first round of the playoffs.
LeBron talking junk to Dillon Brooks
The Lakers won Game 1 but played poorly in Game 2. The best-of-seven series is now tied at 1-1. James and Co. have to win both Games 3 and 4 to keep home-court advantage in the series and “The King” knows how important Game 3 is.
LeBron called Game 3 the most important game of the series.
“If we’re comfortable, they’ll come in and take that homecourt advantage right back from us.”
Magic Johnson Called Out the Lakers
Lakers legend Magic Johnson called out the LakeShow after the disappointing Game 2 loss. The Hall of Famer tweeted, “The Lakers have no one to blame but themselves. They didn’t come ready to play, that’s why they lost 101-93 to an undermanned Memphis team.”
The Lakers have no one to blame but themselves. They didn’t come ready to play, that’s why they lost 101-93 to an undermanned Memphis team.
Lakers All-Stars Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell played terribly in Game 2, combining for 18 points on 6-of-25 shooting from the field. Davis and Russell let James down, as LeBron had a good night with 28 points and 12 rebounds. If AD and D’Lo played up to their standards, the Lakers may have won Game 2 easily.
Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant missed Game 2 due to the hand injury he suffered in Game 1, but Tyus Jones filled in admirably. The Duke product had 10 points and eight assists in 36 minutes while shooting 4-of-11 overall and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line.
“They’re just as dangerous a team when Tyus is starting,” James said after Game 2. “They don’t miss a beat and we knew that. No matter if Ja’s in the game. If Ja’s starting, dangerous. If Tyus is starting, dangerous. It didn’t change our approach.”
How Is LeBron James’ Foot?
James, 38, tore a tendon in his right foot in February and missed roughly a month. A few doctors told the small forward to undergo season-ending surgery, but James decided not to.
“I think he’s in a really good spot,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said on the April 17 episode of The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe. “When he came back, obviously four weeks away with a torn tendon in the right foot, the first road trip they were in Houston, there was a timeout in the second quarter and he took off both his sneakers and just looked kind of to kind of be going through it and I was like, ‘Uh oh.’ Like maybe he pushed a little bit too hard, too quickly and this is something that’s going to be a recurring thing. That’s the only time that I saw any sign of — there’s been some fatigue moments where he’s getting his wind back, but that’s not something that concerns me because he’ll continue to get that back — but that was the only time that I saw, ‘Ok maybe the foot’s still there for him.’”
James is looking to win his fifth NBA championship.