Suns guard Dillon Brooks attempted to appear contrite as he described his late-game flagrant foul on Steph Curry.
But wearing an oversized leather jacket and wraparound sunglasses while standing at his locker in Phoenix on Thursday night, the longtime Warriors antagonist hardly put on a convincing performance following the Suns 99-98 victory over the flailing Warriors.
“I’ve got to do some soul searching. It’s the second time, and I’ll learn from it,” Brooks said with the faintest sign of a smirk.
When asked why he, after contesting Curry’s shot in the corner with 38 seconds left, he decided to load up and swing his arm into the shooter’s midsection long after the shot was released, Brooks followed his reasoning with a joke.
“I thought he was going to run and get the rebound, so I tried to stop him,” Brooks said, before adding, “I’ve been lifting too much. I do what the other guys do and lift on gameday. I can’t explain it.”
Curry made both free throws, and Jimmy Butler tied the game with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. Brooks’ 3-point attempt to win the game went wide of the rim, but Jordan Goodwin grabbed the rebound and drew a foul to give the Suns a win.
During his postgame press conference, Curry made his thoughts on the play crystal clear.
“That play happened, which was bush league, but (we) took advantage of it when Jimmy hits a big 3,” Curry told reporters.
Brooks’ reputation as a figure who has drawn the ire of the Warriors and other opponents is not up for debate.
During his last game, a loss to the Lakers, Brooks was ejected after hitting a clutch triple to give the Suns the lead. He bumped into and taunted LeBron James on his trip back downcourt, earning a second technical foul and an ejection.
Brooks, who is averaging a career-high 21.6 points per game in his ninth season, has long been the subject of disdain in Golden State.
During the second round of the 2022 playoffs with Memphis, Brooks’ flagrant foul on Gary Payton II led to the Warriors wing breaking his elbow.
During the spring as a member of the Rockets, Brooks was accused of intentionally attempting to hurt Curry’s shooting hand on follow-throughs, an assertion Brooks did not exactly deny.
“If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time,” Brooks said. “So, whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it.”
Brooks later called Draymond Green a “dirty player” during the highly physical series, and was also in the middle of a Game 4 scuffle that saw Green push Brooks away from Curry. Even the soft-spoken Jimmy Butler said, in no uncertain terms, that he did not like Brooks.
Will Brooks add another entry into his already impressive collection of Warriors-related incidents? He will not have to wait long to do it, as the teams play again on Saturday, this time at Chase Center.