The Houston Rockets are a scrappy, physical, and sometimes overly aggressive defensive team that receives some leeway from the officials, at times. That leeway has allowed some of the players to continue to deliver on that end of the floor, including Dillon Brooks.
Brooks, who was once the enforcer for the Memphis Grizzlies, is a tough defender. He gets away with a lot of fouls and contact, but he does have the proper footwork to stay in front of most offensive players, which ensures that he can compete with the best of the best.
With this upcoming battle between the Rockets and Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs, there’s a lot to look at for this matchup. Brooks and Stephen Curry have a history, and Brooks and Gary Payton II share a history, too. So, the Rockets’ small forward is no stranger to facing the Warriors.
Dillon Brooks Says He Won’t Get Ejected During Rockets vs. Warriors
Brooks made it clear that he will not find himself ejected from the games in this series. Brooks has seen his fair share of ejections and has fouled out of games many times, but he stands firm on his stance that he will not run into this issue again.
On Thursday, April 17, when asked about how many ejections he could potentially have in the series, Brooks said: “I don’t know. I am not going to get ejected. I’ll leave that to somebody else. ”
Brooks could have been referring to Draymond Green as “someone else” since Green has been notorious for his ejections over the years. The battle between the two defensive stalwarts, Green and Brooks, could influence the outcome of the series.
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Brooks also needs to be wary of Stephen Curry since Curry has always caused problems for the forward. The Rockets’ star could also potentially be tasked with defending Jimmy Butler III. Butler is known for drawing fouls, creating contact, and that’s exactly what could lead to Brooks fouling out or allowing his frustration to boil over, leading to an ejection.
Who Wins Between the Rockets and Warriors?
This series is truly a tough call. If playoff experience is to be believed, the Warriors should win this. If talent and skill are to be believed, this could go either way. The Warriors have the best players in the series, as Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry are tested veterans. The Rockets have the versatility. It will be a battle of wills.
Dillon Brooks will be important in multiple ways, as his ability to knock down threes and defend at a high level will all be needed in this series. Draymond Green will be crucial to the Warriors’ game plan as his defense and facilitation will be paramount to their success.
Who wins this first-round matchup? Will the Rockets defeat the old guard of the Warriors, or will the Warriors triumph over the second seed? Time will tell.