First game with the Rockets, and first expulsion for Dillon Brooks. After less than five minutes of play, the winger was sent to the locker room for a blow to the private parts of Daniel Theis…
Dillon Brooks was expelled for a similar gesture on LeBron James during the last playoffs.
“I was trying to manage a screen” says the “Bad Boy” of Houston. “I may have hit him below the belt. But he got up straight away. I do not know. It’s weird that every time this happens to me, there are sanctions.. I guess it’s part of the reputation.”
Indeed. Especially since the actions, intentional or not, of Dillon Brooks, are really not discreet, and as the opponents and the referees monitor him closely, he is logically sanctioned.
“I play hard and this kind of stuff happens”
“I don’t know if he flopped” continues the Texan winger. “For a flagrant error like this, you have to know whether the person did it voluntarily or whether they intended to do it. It comes down to who I am as a person. The referee, Mitch (Ervin), shows he doesn’t know who I am. It’s just based on hearsay. »
“I play hard and this kind of stuff happens” concludes Dillon Brooks, while his coach, Ime Udoka, reminds him that his reputation mattersprecisely, and that he must become aware of it…
“I think he thought Theis had flopped on the previous action (Dillon Brooks was penalized with a foul away from the ball for entering Daniel Theis’ screen too hard). So he does something about the next action. Obviously you can’t do that. The same guy framed him twice. He must control his emotions and stay in the match. We can’t get knocked out in the first quarter. »
For Dillon Brooks, recruited at a high price this summer despite his bad reputation, we will have to find the balance.
“We like his aggression and his physical impact. But in the NBA, reputations die hard and people are attentive to certain things. He needs to handle this better.” concludes the coach.
The Rockets still won the match (122-103) against the Pacers, behind 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists from Alperen Sengun and 15 points off the bench from Cam Whitmore.
