“People want physicality and things to that nature, playoff basketball, but you gotta set some type of standard” - Kendrick Perkins believes the NBA did a great job in suspending Dillon Brooks for his Flagrant 2 foul
Former NBA players Kendrick Perkins and Vince Carter agreed with the NBA's decision to suspend Dillon Brooks for one game because of his Flagrant 2 foul.
The Memphis Grizzlies forward took down Golden State Warriors guard payton-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Gary Payton II in the opening minutes of their series-tying 106-101 Game 2 win. Brooks was ejected from that game and then suspended by the league on Thursday.
Kendrick Perkins voices opinion on Dillon Brooks’ suspension
On Thursday on “NBA on ESPN,” Perkins said:
“He deserved it. I think the NBA made the right call on this one. Listen, there’s no place in the game for this. And I get people want physicality and things to that nature, playoff basketball, but you gotta set some type of standard … and I think the NBA did a great job.”
The league suspended Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks for one game for "unnecessary and excessive contact." Game 3 is Saturday in San Francisco.
The decision drew flack from some, but Perkins and Vince Carter agreed with the decision on Thursday.
Golden State's draymond-green" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Draymond Green set the tone for the series after he was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul just before halftime in the Warriors' 117-116 Game 1 victory. That was considered in the essence of playoff basketball. As a result, the Grizzlies came out swinging in Game 2.
With 9:08 left in the first quarter, Brooks came up behind Payton as he was driving and knocked him down. X-rays revealed Payton suffered a fractured left elbow. He will be out at least a month.
.@KendrickPerkins and @mrvincecarter15 agree with the league’s decision to suspend Dillon Brooks. https://t.co/iva9wOJBE1
The message was simply that Memphis can be just as aggressive, if not more.
When asked about the Grizzlies' physicality, Golden State coach Steve Kerr said:
“Dillon Brooks broke the code. … That’s how I see it.”
Carter, who was drafted in 1998 and played a record 22 seasons, agreed with the league's decision, saying:
“I applaud (Brooks) for the hustle play, trying to get back and not allow the lay up. But at some point you have to understand, ‘Alright, I can’t get there, and if I try to attempt to block this shot, I can hurt him or myself.’ And he took it to the next level, and, of course hurt, Gary Payton, and he deserved the suspension.”
Even after Payton left the game with the injury, the high level of aggression ceased to dissipate.
Green ended up with blood on his face not too long after. Xavier Tillman elbowed Draymond in the face, causing bleeding from around Green's eye. The Memphis home crowd booed Green, who they viewed as a villain from Game 1, as he was escorted into the locker room for treatment.
Green reacted with a pair of middle fingers.
Usually, physicality like this is more prone to later in a series between teams with a sour history. To see it happen in Game 2 between two rather mutual squads is alarming. The NBA’s decision to suspend Brooks may have been a message for both teams to cool it.
Playoff tenacity and aggression is admired but when it is risking player's futures, it becomes a different story.