Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves believes LeBron James is not bothered about Dillon Brooks and his comments after the Memphis Grizzlies won in Game 2. Brooks stated that LeBron is old and would need to drop a 40-point game to earn his respect.
Ahead of Game 3, fans were confused about how LeBron would turn up after Brooks’ statement. Many thought he would prove a point, while many believed him to play as a facilitator.
LeBron showed that winning matters the most to him as he tallied 25 points, nine boards and five assists on 50% shooting as the Lakers won 111-103 over the Grizzlies. Reiterating LeBron’s thoughts, Reaves spoke to the media after the win. He clarified that LeBron would always look to win over hitting 40 points. “Bron would rather win. He’s not worried about getting 40. He wants to win and that shows in the way he plays,” Reaves told Spectrum Sportsnet.
The veteran played a very balanced game as he started off brightly scoring six of the Lakers’ first eight points. Soon that became a 35-9 lead in the first quarter. It was the biggest first-quarter lead in NBA playoffs. LeBron already had eight points and five boards at the end of the first quarter.
The match ended with four other Lakers players scoring in double digits. Anthony Davis smashed 31 points on the night along with 17 boards, D’Angelo Russell scored 17, Reaves had 13 and Rui Hachimura also tallied 16 points.
LeBron could have easily accepted Brooks’ challenge but he is a very matured man and over the years he has learned how to put his team ahead of anything else. He has always made his teammates better in every team he has featured in the league.
He understood the bait placed by Brooks and highlighted that his focus and concentration is on his teammates and how they can win this round rather than running after individual accolades. “I think my resume…speaks for itself. So I don’t really get caught up in any comments like that…My focus is to my teammates and us trying to figure out how we can beat the Memphis Grizzlies — not how I can beat any individual,” he told ClutchPoints after Game 3 win.
The night became bad to worse for Brooks when he was ejected after his altercation with LeBron. He could only manage seven points before leaving the court.
