NBA suspends Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks ahead of Game 3 vs Warriors
With no quarter being given from either side, the Grizzlies and Warriors have been battling it out, but did Dillion Brooks go to far?
After a cynical foul that resulted in a serious injury, the Grizzlies player was ejected from Game 2 and has now subsequently been suspended.
The NBA suspends the Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks
According to a NBA announcement on Thursday, Memphis Grizzlies wing Dillon Brooks has been suspended for Game 3 of their second-round series against the Golden State Warriors. Brooks was ejected from Game 2 after committing a flagrant foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton II. The foul was actually severe enough that it resulted in Payton fracturing his left elbow. Payton is now expected to miss at least three weeks due to the injury. Interestingly, the Warriors have not ruled out the possibility of his return in the NBA Finals, should they make it all the way there.
Warriors HC Steve Kerr is not happy with Dillon Brooks
Regarding the foul itself, it was actually in the early stages of Game 2. Payton had a wide-open lane to the basket and accordingly went up for a dunk. At that point Brooks essentially tackled him mid air with a hard blow to the head. Payton was seen to fall forcefully to the floor. Warriors coach Steve Kerr made clear that intentions aside, the play was not clean and more over crossed a line.
“Playoff basketball is supposed to be physical,” he explained. “But there is a code that players follow where you never put a guy’s season [or] career in jeopardy by taking somebody out in midair and clubbing him across the head, ultimately fracturing Gary’s elbow. ...He broke the code. Dillon Brooks broke the code.”
The Warriors and Grizzlies have been going at it
From the get go, the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies has been an intense affair to say tht least. In Game 1 Warriors star Draymond Green was ejected for a hit on Brandon Clarke. Green would again be the antagonist in Game 2 when he gave the finger to Grizzlies fans. Rest assured there is no love lost between these two teams and even more so when considering the fact that the Grizzlies defeated the Warriors in the play-in round last season.
As for Brooks, his absence will be felt as he was averaging an impressive and more over career-high 18.4 points per game this season. A starter in all of the Grizzlies playoff games so far, Brooks’ absence will undoubtedly force Memphis to look to DeAnthony Melton and Ziaire Williams for cover. Whether they can do so or not will definitely be tested when they head to San Francisco for Game 3. The pressure is now well and truly on.