Dillon Brooks has been a key part of the Memphis Grizzlies getting the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and his two-way play has been crucial for the team. However, it seems as though the team will have to do without him in the meantime.
Due to his hard foul on Gary Payton II, Dillon Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected from Game 2. On top of that, the league has recently announced that he would be suspended for Game 3.
There have been a lot of people that have criticized Dillon Brooks for the foul, and some even claimed that it was a dirty move. Even teammate Brandon Clarke had to admit that the foul from Dillon Brooks was “way too hard” and added that it was “something that he shouldn’t have done”. Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports relayed the news.
“Playoff ball is tough,” Clarke told Lowe. “There’s so many emotions, there’s so much going on, and everybody wants to win so bad. I think players can get caught up in that and kind of act out when they shouldn’t act out. I think Dillon obviously feels bad, I haven’t really talked with him much, but I saw that Gary is injured from the play.
“I watched it again, and Dillon definitely fouled him way too hard and did something that he shouldn’t have done. But it’s tough. There’s obviously falls every game that could definitely result in somebody getting hurt, but you really don’t want to see somebody get hurt off a flagrant, obviously. I know that Dillon feels bad. It’s just a real bad part of the game, but hopefully, we all can move on from that.”
There is no doubt that the foul from Dillon Brooks was unnecessary, and a one-game suspension seems like a reasonable punishment. While Dillon Brooks may not have had dirty intentions with that action, it is clear that his foul had a drastic and unfortunate outcome. It is however good to see that he does feel some remorse for the foul.
The Memphis Grizzlies face an uphill battle in the next few games. They will have to take at least one game from the Warriors in San Francisco if they are to avoid a 3-1 deficit, and we’ll see if they are able to do so.
