Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks blames perception of him as a 'villain' for Game 3 ejection vs. Lakers

Brooks was ejected for a low blow on LeBron James

Dillon Brooks has opened up about his ejection from the Memphis Grizzlies' Game 3 defeat in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The brash guard, who had initially refused to speak to reporters at the arena, addressed the media on Sunday at practice and blamed the decision on a perception of him as a "villain." 

"The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain, that just creates another persona on me," Brooks said. 

At the beginning of the third quarter in Game 3, Brooks went for a steal but mistimed his reach and ended up hitting LeBron James in the groin. James hit the deck in pain and the referees went to the monitor for a review, after which they assessed a Flagrant 2 foul on Brooks and dismissed him from the contest. 

While Brooks' contact on James may not have been intentional, we saw earlier in the playoffs with the James Harden situation that it doesn't matter when it comes to shots to the groin. And even if Brooks' reputation did play a part in the refs' decision, he would only have himself to blame. 

This was just the latest incident for Brooks, who has a history of overly physical play. In the second round of the playoffs last season he was ejected for a hard foul on Gary Payton II that resulted in a broken elbow for the Golden State Warriors guard and later suspended a game. This season, he was ejected for hitting Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell in the groin and also suspended for a game for reaching the technical foul threshold. 

In addition, Brooks talks a lot of trash on the court and has made controversial statements in the media. The latest came after the Grizzlies' Game 2 win when he took a shot at James. 

"I don't care, [LeBron James] is old. I was waiting for that, I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5, he wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He shouldn't have said that earlier on. I poke bears. I don't respect anyone until they come and give me 40.

"Obviously, I have some respect. He's a legend. He's LeBron James. But when I'm on that floor, you're just another player to me. I don't care who you are. You're just 6-8, 270 pounds, and you're a basketball player. And that's where guys, they don't see that part of that game, where like, oh, I had those moments, year one, year two, where it's like, 'Oh, he's glowing; he's shining.' But now I'm creating a name for myself."

Brooks will not face any further punishment from the league, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, so he'll be eligible to play in Game 4 on Monday. Already down 1-2 in the series, the Grizzlies face what is, essentially, a must-win game.