Dillon Brooks has a long-running feud with LeBron James. Brooks sparked the feud during last season’s first-round playoff loss to the Lakers. Brooks came into the series determined to harass and prevent LeBron James from having an impact on the games. However, Brooks’ efforts backfired as James led the Lakers to a blowout victory to close the series.
Brooks continues to pursue James this season with the Rockets. Brooks previously employed stare-downs and outstanding defense to torment James. Brooks’ shenanigans got a little more elaborate in this round. He pushed Jarred Vanderbilt in the back while he was in the air for a dunk. Vanderbilt landed awkwardly and was in agony. When James went up for a rebound, Brooks struck him in the face, resulting in a flagrant 1 foul. All of the shenanigans resulted in an embarrassing loss for the Lakers.
It would be fair to argue that Brooks and his antics had an impact on the game. However, Shannon Sharpe claims that the Rockets do not need to pay him an NBA contract to do the same dirty plays as Brooks.
