Dillon Brooks has made a number of notable comments as his Memphis Grizzlies have faced off with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2023 postseason, but none have stood out more than the standard he sets for his opponents. "I don't respect anyone until they come and give me 40," Brooks said of LeBron James after Game 2. If we're going off of points alone, Brooks has held James below 40 four times in a row. James hasn't scored more than 28 points in any game this series.
But James hit a different statistical milestone on Monday. With 22 points and 20 rebounds, James posted the first playoff game of his career with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. In the process, he became the first Laker to hit those markers since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.
Nowadays, O'Neal comments on the NBA for TNT, and sure enough, he was on the desk after the game to discuss the Lakers' victory that gave them a 3-1 lead in the series. In the process, O'Neal pointed out some very basic math to Brooks: 20 plus 20 equals 40.
"Dillon Brooks said he doesn't respect anybody until they get 40. 20 & 20 is 40." @SHAQ on @KingJames 20-20 performance in Game 4 pic.twitter.com/UTbl27qI0Z
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 25, 2023
"LeBron had 20-20. Dillon Brooks said he doesn't respect anybody until they get 40," O'Neal said. "20 and 20 is 40." In a way, you could argue that 20 and 20 for James is a more impressive achievement than simply scoring 40. After all, James has scored 40 points in 28 different playoff games. Brooks is the first opponent who has allowed the 38-year-old James to reach 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game. It was obviously a team-wide breakdown on the Grizzlies' part, but then, Brooks was the only player on the team to set the bar for James at 40.
Brooks, meanwhile, had yet another poor shooting game. He is now shooting 17 of 51 from the floor in the series to go along with a disastrous 6-of-27 mark from behind the arc. His defense on James has largely been strong, but the Grizzlies have lost the minutes that he has played in this series by 14 points. With free agency looming for Brooks this offseason and his words continuing to motivate both the Lakers and their home crowd, he'll need to turn things around quickly if he hopes to secure a long-term deal this offseason.
