Dillon Brooks didn’t hold back on calling out OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Suns’ 120-107 Game 2 loss on Wednesday.
The Suns forward had plenty to say about the mercurial Thunder guard when speaking to the reporters after the matchup. His comments come amid his teammate, Devin Booker, tearing into the officials for their officiating.
Dillon Brooks Minces No Words As He Takes Shots at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
In his postgame chat with the media after the tough loss, Brooks didn’t hold back when he voiced his opinion on Gilgeous-Alexander’s play in the second skirmish. “He’s a little frail, and that’s what the refs are going to call,” he said, per Thunder reporter Jordan Davis.
“This is the playoffs, a man’s game. I used to watch this back when Michael Jordan was playing. When LeBron [James] was younger, just physical basketball. I don’t get why all the dropping, the falling, and the flopping and flailing, and all this stuff is allowed when we get to the playoffs.”
Brooks certainly put his two cents across. Regardless, the Suns still have to figure out a way to clamp Gilgeous-Alexander, who has a knack for finding his way to the free-throw line. On Wednesday, the guard was 9-for-9 from the FT line as he ended with a game-high 37 points, along with five rebounds and nine assists.
It was a solid outing for Brooks as he led the Suns with a team-high 30 points. He also recorded six rebounds. Booker had 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, but the Suns fell short to trail 0-2 in the first round. For Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander found able assistance in the form of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, chipping in 19 points each.
Earlier, Booker had ripped into the officials after he was whistled with a technical foul in the third quarter.
Per Yahoo! Sports, “It’s definitely something that has to be looked at,” he told reporters after. “I heard [Alex] Caruso tell them to call the tech, and he ended up doing it. In my 11 years, I haven’t called a ref out by name, but James Williams was terrible tonight.”
The Thunder continue to be firm favorites to win the first round, even after an improved showing by the Suns in the second game. They will have to be clinical in the next couple of games if they intend to stay alive in the series.
A 0-3 deficit will be extremely difficult to overcome, and the Suns will hope to prevent that when they host the Thunder on Saturday, April 25. In the meantime, the Thunder will also hope to have Williams back in the fold after he suffered a hamstring injury in the second game.
