Dillon Brooks continued his beef with LeBron James on Saturday night. The Grizzlies’ forward had previously called LeBron “old” among other remarks after the Grizzlies’ game 2 win. Brooks also said he didn’t respect to LeBron because the Laker hadn’t dropped 40 points on the Grizzlies.
However, the in-game beef only lasted 19 minutes. Just 17 seconds into the second half, Brooks was called for a flagrant 2 on LeBron and ejected. Brooks appeared to hit LeBron in the groin, similar to a foul that saw James Harden ejected from a Sixers game days prior. The Grizzlies eventually lost 111-101. It’s the latest in a line of recent flagrant fouls around the NBA playoffs. Harden’s teammate Joel Embiid was called for a flagrant 1 in the same game. Meanwhile, Draymond Green was called for a flagrant 2 for stomping on Domantas Sabonis.
Brooks Dodges Suspension
According to league officials who spoke to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Brooks will not face suspension following his flagrant 2 ejection. No further reasoning was given for why Brooks was not given further punishment. Brooks has been ejected three times this season, tied for most in the league. He was also ejected for a flagrant 2 during the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Brooks has also missed three games due to suspension this season. Two of those were automatic suspensions triggered by technical foul accumulations. He led the league in technical fouls this season with a total of 18. Brooks earned suspensions after his 16th and 18th technical. However, he was also suspended one game for hitting Donovan Mitchell in the groin. Safe to say, Brooks is not exactly a “clean” player.
The decision has once again raised questions about the NBA’s decision-making, especially in regard to these playoffs. Draymond Green received a one-game suspension for his flagrant 2. While Green stomping on Sabonis was a more impactful incident, the NBA handed down a suspension due to Green’s “dirty player” reputation. Some have asked why the same isn’t being applied to Brooks’ past too. However, the Grizzlies will likely be glad to have the defensive stalwart on the court as they attempt to even the series. The Grizzlies and Lakers will face off next on Monday.
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