"None of these young players fear him like they feared Mike" - NBA analyst reacts to Dillon Brooks' comments on LeBron James
Following the Memphis Grizzlies' 103-93 win against the LA Lakers on Wednesday night, Memphis guard Dillon Brooks had some interesting quotes.
Brooks continues to use his media availibilty and on-court antics to mock and annoy LeBron James and the Lakers. It is just another example of a young player going at James this season.
“This shows nobody fears LeBron. None of these players fear him like they feared Mike,” NFL Network analyst and former NFL player James Jones said on "The Carton Show"
Jones was referring, of course, to Michael Jordan, saying James does not carry the same stature and presence Jordan had when he played.
What started the Brooks and James beef?
While Dillon Brooks was trash-talking as usual in Game 2 against the Lakers, he stared down LeBron James and got in his face as a pesky defender.
"This shows nobody fears LeBron, none of these young players fear him like they feared Mike."
- @89JonesNTAF on Dillon Brooks calling LeBron James ‘old’
(Via @TheCartonShow) https://t.co/G6VPSkvZYn
When asked about the exchange and whether it was disrespectful, Brooks, 27, said he did not care because James, 38, was “old.”
Brooks has called out James before. Before the series began, Brooks said he was excited about the opportunity to eliminate James from the playoffs.
James has not interacted much with Brooks during the first two games of the Western Conference playoff series. He often did not return the staredowns from Brooks, attempting to ignore the trolling from the Memphis player.
It is a growing trend among young players to say that James does not carry the weight he used to. Many say he is past his prime and they are no longer intimidated by the legendary James.
Earlier this season, OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made shockwaves when he said he “never liked LeBron’s game.”
LeBron hate is real.
I react to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saying “I never liked [LeBron James’] game. To me, when I was younger he was just super athletic, I wasn’t that. He was 6’8″, and super strong and I wasn’t that either.”
Never Shut Up: youtu.be/AVqkTfyc_6g https://t.co/ILTwYXsy9u
James still logs starter minutes despite his age. In Game 2 of the series against Memphis, James played 39 minutes, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He was the Lakers' leading scorer in the 103-93 loss on Wednesday.
In Game 1, James logged 34 minutes in the Lakers' 128-112 win. He dropped 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He packed the statsheet with 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks.
Brooks, meanwhile, scored 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting with zero steals in Game 1. The fiery guard scored 12 points on 5-for14 shooting in Memphis’ Game 2 win.
It will be interesting to see how James, who has played in 268 playoff games (including 10 NBA Finals appearances), responds in media conferences or on the court to Brooks’ antics and snide comments. Brooks has been in 18 playoff games.
The Lakers will host the Grizzlies in Game 3 on Saturday.