The Memphis Grizzlies will have an eye on the play-in games as they enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Grizzlies faced the Timberwolves in the first round after Minnesota won their initial play-in game. The Wolves pushed Memphis to a fiercely competitive six games in a series that was much closer than a 2-7 matchup might indicate.
Before this year’s play-in games — particularly Minnesota’s game against the Lakers on Tuesday night — Dillon Brooks provided his preference for a first round matchup in a way only Dillon Brooks could.
Dillon Brooks: “I wouldn’t mind playing LeBron in a 7-game series.”
Why?
“The legacy is there. First time back in the playoffs, knock him out right away in the first round. It’ll test us good. They got good pieces, good players, and that’ll be a good 1st round matchup for us.”
— Mark Giannotto (@mgiannotto) April 11, 2023
It’s not surprising that Brooks would invite a tough challenge. The Grizzlies forward consistently takes on the toughest matchups and thrives on making that matchup — and everyone else who is not his teammate — miserable. In a vacuum, a player inviting a tougher matchup to sharpen their game for later rounds is a pretty healthy mindset. However, when the team you’re asking for employs LeBron James, that invitation could bring more than Brooks bargained for. Not to mention, Brooks has spent the entire season supplanting himself as the NBA’s most reviled villain.
LeBron doesn’t need much motivation for playoff basketball, but Brooks’ comments are certainly the sort of thing that attracts his attention.