LOS ANGELES — LeBron James could have given Dillon Brooks one ear in front of the Lakers’ 111-101 Game 3 won Grizzly Memphis on Saturday, but when it started, everything went as usual — a player on the team worked out a game plan to try to win a basketball game.
“I’ve been doing this for too long. I’ve said enough,” James said when asked if he was trying to create emphasis in his play. “No. We had the opportunity to come home and play well at home, and we did. No statement was made. We just wanted to play well and win. And we did. I want to try to do that in Game 4, also.
“But I don’t need to make a statement.”
The 7th-seeded Lakers led the 2nd-seeded Grizzlies 2-1 in the first series of the Western Conference.
James finished with 25 points on 10 to 20 shots, 9 rebounds and 5 assists, and he added a double-clutch backslid when he broke through in the second half – playstyle enough to counter the assertion. of Brooks that James looked “old” without saying anything about it during a press conference.
During the pre-match warm-up, James confronted Brooks on the field with fans in the stands and cameras spinning around them. While the Lakers did not disclose what was said, James said he had no problem with witnesses drawing their own conclusions.
“There’s nothing personal about it,” James said of the pregnancy exchange. “It’s very, very public. I like that.”
What James, a 20-year veteran, says he doesn’t appreciate is the constant stream of agitated people that seem to constantly try to confuse him — from DeShawn Stevenson to Joakim Noah, Lance Stephenson to Jason Terry , Paul Pierce arrives Blue Draymond.
“This is not my first horse race,” James said. “I’ve been through this over the course of my career with a number of individuals. It’s easy. It’s easy if you want to…”
James stopped there and focused back on winning — and continued Anthony Davissat to his right on the podium after the game, who had 31 points, 17 rebounds and three saves.
James said to Davis, “We won; you played a good game, my boy.” “Yes, you’ve got a great game. I wouldn’t do this.”
He also won’t play judge and jury when it comes to Brooks’ condition in Game 4. The Grizzlies forward hit James in the groin when James passed the ball 17 seconds behind him in the third inning. After a review by officials, Brooks was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and sent off. He finished with seven points shooting 3 to 13 in 19 minutes.
James told Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell in a post-match court interview: “I’m just trying to get up, protect my crown jewels and move on to the next game.
When asked if Brooks should be suspended for disqualification, James said, “I’m not on that committee. If he’s in the squad, out of the lineup, we have to prepare no matter what. again.”
Davis, who was limited to 13 points when he shot 4 to 14 in Game 2, ended up being the difference in Game 3, no matter how much James and Brooks might have said before.
“Didn’t like my performance in Game 2,” Davis said afterwards. “And I just need to get better overall. Aggression has increased, not waiting for doubles teams. I’m just trying to go fast and get them to adjust to me instead of adjusting to them. And just its proper reading.”
And if James doesn’t win Brooks’ respect by scoring 40 points, when the Memphis forward tries to lure him in, James can’t seem to care more.
He has won.
“At the end of the day, I think my résumé and what I’ve done for this tournament speaks for itself,” James said. “I don’t really get caught up in any comments like that. Like I said, at the end of the day my focus is on my teammates and we’re trying to figure out how we can beat Memphis. Grizzlies, not how can I try to beat an individual on their team.
“If anyone knows me, they should know that’s what I’ve been aiming for. That’s what matters.”
