Even at the age of 38, even after he marked V for every possible challenge in his career, there are those who are still ready to test the patience and competitiveness of LeBron James.
After Game 2 against the Lakers, Dillon Brooks called James "old man", made it clear that "he doesn't respect him", and tried to belittle him in a show.
So in Game 3, James did not respond to Brooks' call to score 40 points "to make me start respecting him" - but he and the Lakers knocked out Memphis, with a 101:111 victory in a one-sided game that gave them a 1:2 lead in the series, and sent a message continue.
"Anyone who tries to doubt LeBron should know - it makes us play with fire in our eyes, especially LeBron," explained Lakers coach Darwin Hamm after James scored 25 points and added 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and recorded a number of wonderful moves, including a tremendous dunk in a burst who mentioned the young LeBron.
"All this theatrics of their players, it's good for the fans...for us,
After tonight's game, LeBron stands at 145 playoff games with at least 25 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds, being the only player in history to reach more than 100 such games.
LeBron also has 240 playoff games with 20 or more points, the most in history, with Jordan ranking second with "only" 173.
LeBron claims that with his resume and track record, he doesn't really engage in cheap trash talk like the one Brooks tried to use against him.
According to him, he did not go to the game tonight in order to convey a message to Brooks and Memphis.
"What kind of statement can I make already? I've been in this business for too long, I've already passed the stage of statements, I don't need them," said LeBron.
Just another player trying to get him out of focus?
LeBron with Brooks (Photo: GettyImages, Harry How)
But despite LeBron's statements, he certainly seems to have taken Brooks' words to heart.
Before the game, while Brooks was warming up, James walked up to him and had a short, tense conversation with him.
"It was not a friendly conversation. LeBron made it clear to him that there are things that should not be said about the king, and that there will be a price for that," ESPN explained.
Even during the game, LeBron and Brooks continued to trash talk, and at the beginning of the third quarter, Brooks crossed the line when he punched LeBron in the testicles.
Brooks was suspended, and there is a good chance that he will be suspended from Game 4 as well, if the NBA acts as it did in the case of Draymond Green and punishes him severely in light of his past entanglements in similar cases.
"It's not the first time I've experienced things like this," LeBron said in reference to Brooks' attempts to distract him during the series in more or less sporting ways.
"I've dealt with it throughout my career, and there have already been a few players who have tried to do it in front of me, but it's too easy...I'm not falling for it, I'm just not going to fall for it."
LeBron explains that "My resume speaks for itself. I focus on my teammates, and how we together will beat the Memphis Grizzlies - not how LeBron James will beat a certain player of theirs."
Jah Morant recorded a big game on the other side that was somewhat forgotten in the background of the Lakers' victory and the events between LeBron and Brooks.
Morant finished with 45 points and scored all of the Grizzlies' last 22 points, but it didn't help them get close and seriously threaten the Lakers' win.
At the end, Morant admitted that he would not be surprised if Brooks was also suspended from Game 4 of the series.
"It wouldn't surprise me, because I see how the NBA treats such cases. In my opinion, the decision to send him off today was greatly influenced by his past suspensions. It will probably also have an effect on the decision regarding the next game," Morant said.
Even he was doubted, it also had a positive effect on him.
Hachimura (Photo: GettyImages, Harry How)
Either way, this isn't the only case where the Memphis players' trash talk doesn't work.
After the first game in the series in which Roy Hachimura scored 29 points, Desmond Bain doubted and said: "This is probably the best game he's had in his career, let's see if he can keep it up."
Hachimura continues with it in the meantime, and in a big way: in Game 2 he scored 20 points and pulled down 5 rebounds, and tonight he finished with 16 and 5 rebounds, and scored some important baskets.
The Japanese forward who was traded from Washington "to make room for Danny Abediah" - as former GM Tommy Shepherd claimed at the time - leads the playoffs so far in points from the bench, averaging more than 21 points per game, and is becoming a crowd favorite at Crypto Arena.
The Lakers fans especially cheered him throughout the game, giving him a standing ovation before the end.
"I just feel good here. They believe in me, they let me play the way I know how, and everyone benefits," Hachimura said.
sport
NBA
Tags
LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers
