After Houston secured a crucial 131-116 win to stay alive in the series, Brooks and teammate Alperen Sengun addressed the media. They reflected on their standout performance and the importance of the victory in keeping their playoff hopes alive.

During the press conference, both players shared their thoughts on the game. At one point, a reporter asked Brooks whether he was targeting Curry’s swollen thumb. Brooks didn’t shy away from the question and responded with a bold statement.

“I’ve been playing the game for a while. If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time. So, whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it,” Brooks told reporters following the Rockets‘ Game 5 victory in the NBA Playoffs.

Curry reacts to viral photo of his swollen thumb

Along with fielding questions about Brooks and Sengun, Curry was also asked about his health and the outlook for the rest of the series. During the postgame press conference, a reporter referenced a photo showing Curry’s thumb looking swollen ahead of the game against the Rockets. Curry responded with a smile.

As he iced his hand, the reporter inquired about the thumb’s condition. Curry quipped, “It feels pretty cold.” When the reporter noted how swollen it looked in the image, Curry laughed and replied, “You got the feds on me?”

Despite the concern, Warriors fans remain hopeful that Curry will be at full strength for the critical upcoming games. The next matchup could determine their path to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Curry reflects on Warriors’ struggles in Game 5 loss

Curry’s postgame remarks also addressed the Warriors’ underwhelming performance, noting that the Rockets capitalized by playing with more urgency and physicality. Golden State, on the other hand, lacked the same energy, something Curry believes was a key factor in the loss.

“They got confidence, went on a run, got the crowd into it early, and the desperate team set the tone. For us, we understand how to negate that going into Game 6,” Curry said.

Butler made a significant impact on both ends of the court, leading a team that struggled with Stephen Curry’s off night. While Curry wasn’t at his best against Houston, Butler stepped up with 27 points to lift Golden State and shift the momentum in the series ahead of Game 5.

Following the narrow win, Butler addressed the media about the game and the team’s overall performance. However, he also made headlines for a blunt comment directed at Rockets forward Dillon Brooks.

Asked about a heated exchange with Brooks during the game, Butler didn’t hold back and said that Rockets player is the one who doesn’t like. “Get me on record for this: I don’t like Dillon Brooks. We are never having fun,” Butler said, making it clear there’s no love lost between the two.

Butler’s heated words for Brooks go viral

Jimmy Butler didn’t hold back during a tense moment with Brooks on the court, and now a viral video on social media is putting the spotlight on their fiery exchange. Butler was caught on camera delivering some harsh words to Brooks, right in front of a referee.

“You are a bum and a b***. You weak,” Butler said, as Brooks responded with a smirk. The Rockets guard also found himself in another heated moment earlier in the game, exchanging words with Curry during a first-quarter scramble for the ball.

The scuffle prompted coaching staff from both teams to step onto the court to defuse the situation. While the clash between Curry and Brooks didn’t escalate, it ended with Warriors star flashing a grin and Brooks offering a noticeably more serious reaction.

Curry reacts to on-court incident with Brooks

After the game, Curry addressed his brief run-in with Brooks, offering a candid take on the moment and how it played out. “That was so stupid because he had did it literally the play before, and I just returned the favor. But they didn’t see him. They saw me. It’s like siblings, the second one always gets in trouble,” Curry told reporters postgame.

Brown, a vocal leader both on and off the court, made headlines this week not only for his on-court production but for his candid comments about Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks.

During an appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, the 28-year-old All-Star didn’t hold back when asked about trash-talking in the NBA—singling out Brooks by name.

“Only person who does weird stuff and talks trash is Dillon Brooks… That’s his gimmick, tho,” Brown said. “Some players do whatever they need to do to stick in the league… try to get under your skin.”

Looking ahead: Celtics vs. Rockets?

Brown’s comments come with intriguing timing, as the Celtics and Rockets already delivered one of the more tightly contested games of the season—an early January thriller that saw Houston edge Boston 114–112. Brown finished that night with 28 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Brooks stole the spotlight with a season-high 36 points.

However, the two teams don’t meet again in the regular season. With just four games remaining on Boston’s schedule—and none against Houston—a potential rematch could only happen on the biggest stage: the NBA Finals.

The Celtics currently sit as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and remain a favorite to make another championship run. Meanwhile, the Rockets, one of the NBA season’s biggest surprises, also hold the No. 2 seed in the West, positioning themselves as a legitimate threat.

With playoff intensity ramping up, a Celtics-Rockets showdown now carries even more intrigue—especially if it brings another chapter in the growing tension between Jaylen Brown and Dillon Brooks.

The tension between the two players peaked midway through the second quarter. With the Timberwolves leading 51-48, Brooks was defending Edwards when the two got tangled up, refusing to let go of each other. The situation escalated into a heated exchange that required officials to intervene before it turned into something more serious.

After the game, Edwards didn’t hold back, calling out Brooks for what he saw as unsportsmanlike behavior. “Everybody know how Dillon Brooks is, man. He play dirty,” Edwards said according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.

“He’s a competitor. I love the competing part, but all the little slick little dirty s—,” Edwards continued. “Like he hit me in the face, and then I fell, and then he like, ‘How much crying you gonna do?’ I’m like, ‘Bruh, you hit me in my f— face. What do you want me to do?'”

“I don’t like that part. Like, don’t do something and act like you didn’t do it, you know what I’m saying? But I love all the competitiveness,” Edwards added. “Like, we can compete all day, we can talk s— all day, but when you get to doing that, it’s more than basketball at that point.”

Not their first heated exchange

This isn’t the first time Edwards and Brooks have clashed on the court. A similar incident occurred in December 2022, when Brooks was still with the Memphis Grizzlies, and Edwards didn’t shy away from recalling that confrontation.

“A couple of years ago when he was with Memphis, he did the same thing and I reacted the same way,” Edwards said. “I don’t mind you competing, grabbing, pushing, doing all that, because I love that and I will do that back. But the moment you start using your fists and s—, it’s like, alright man. We’re all grown men, we’re not finna do that. He think he got a reputation“.

Brooks was the game’s leading scorer, posting a season-high 36 points while setting a career-high with 10 made three-pointers on 15 attempts. Thompson was equally impactful, finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, including the clutch shot that secured Houston’s win.

After the game, Brooks didn’t hold back when asked about Porzingis, offering a pointed remark about the Celtics’ star big man. “I like playing against bigs that are slow,” Brooks said, per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Brooks’ comments came after a standout individual performance, with Porzingis often assigned to guard him throughout the night.

Mazzulla takes responsibility for defensive struggles

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla came under fire for his defensive matchups, which saw Jrue Holiday tasked with defending Alperen Sengun while Porzingis was frequently matched up against Brooks. Mazzulla acknowledged his mistakes after the game.

“Those were my fault,” Mazzulla said. “It didn’t put us in the best matchups. I saw the play that they were trying to run. I tried to change the matchups”. Despite the adjustments, the Rockets exploited the mismatches, leaving the Celtics struggling to contain Houston’s dynamic offense.

Tatum and Brown react to Brooks’ career night

Brooks’ incredible shooting performance didn’t just surprise the Rockets—it caught the attention of Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as well. “Nobody would’ve expected Dillon Brooks to hit 10 threes,” Brown said after the game. “So, I think you live with it. … Credit to Houston: The people we wanted to make beat us, beat us tonight”.

Tatum echoed Brown’s sentiments, adding: “Congratulations to them. Dillon Brooks had 10 three-pointers, a franchise record. We didn’t expect that to happen. You want to adjust and try to make things tough on them, but I don’t know. He hit 10 3s tonight”.

Amen Thompson shines with game-winner

Thompson, emerging as one of the Rockets’ standout players this season, sealed the victory with the first game-winning shot of his career. Reflecting on the moment, Thompson likened himself to an NBA legend. “It’s my first game-winner. I feel like Kobe,” Thompson said in his post-game interview.

Brooks does a whole of trash-talking, failing to back it up on the court more often than not. His antics have been so tiring that even his own home fans have booed him from time to time.

Nonetheless, the Canadian troublemaker couldn’t care less about his reputation. If anything, he claims he’s just like Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who created the ‘Black Mamba’ character.

Dillon Brooks Wants To Be Like Kobe Bryant

“It’s just a persona, people love it. I’ve grown to love it myself. It’s just like Kobe Bryant,” he told HoopsHype. “R.I.P. to Kobe Bryant how he had to figure out how to create a Black Mamba, a different persona when he comes out on the court.”

“So I guess that’s my persona, the villain, just on the court. But I’m a loving, caring guy who loves my kids, love my family, love my teammates,” he added.

Well, that’s one way to put it. If he talks about embracing a different personality when he’s on the court, then we get the similarity. Other than that, well, it’s a huge stretch.

Dillon Brooks isn’t going to back down easily on the court. However, he didn’t do so outside of it either when it referred to his words aimed at LeBron James in the playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brooks played until last season for the Memphis Grizzlies, but his tenure with the team ended poorly because of the postseason. Memphis were the second seed in the Western Conference, setting an intriguing matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite being ranked lower in the regular season, a team that has LeBron should always be considered dangerous. The problem was not that the Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies six games. It was Brooks’ decision to target the King what was seen as a huge mistake.

Dillon Brooks Doubles on the LeBron James Controversy

Brooks is certain that he was unfairly criticized for the Memphis Grizzlies’ exit in the first round of the playoffs against the Lakers. It’s not right to make one player take the full blame, but his performance was definitely not good enough to defeat Los Angeles.

“I felt like I always had him. I feel like that series was thrown upon me cause of the words that I say. But I’ve been saying things all year, and we won 50 games,” Brooks told Arash Madani of Sportsnet about his sayings towards LeBron during that series.

In the end, it was Brook’s incapability of back his talk with high level of play what ultimately led the Grizzlies to part ways with the player. He finished that series with a rather disappointing shot percentage of 31.2, so the team chose to not bring him back for another season.

What Team Does Dillon Brooks Play For?

Dillon Brooks plays for the Houston Rockets after signing a four-year contract worth $86 million.

Instead of embracing it, Brooks didn’t even address the media after being humiliated on the court. That hurt his credibility even further, making him the butt of the joke on social media.

However, it wasn’t his antics, the never-ending talking, or even the fact that even his own fans despised him and booed him at home why the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

Brooks’ Shot Selection Led To Memphis Exit

According to a report by Tim McMahon of ESPN, Brooks’ terrible shot-selection led the Grizzlies to spend two full seasons looking to replace him. Apparently, he didn’t want to be a fourth or fifth scoring option.

“I think the reasons the Grizzlies were ready to move on from him are misunderstood,”McMahon said on Zach Lowe’s The Lowe Post.

“The nonsense was kind of like at a point where culturally it was time. That was not the primary reason,” added McMaon. “The primary reason the Grizzlies were trying to replace Dillon Brooks for a full two years, repeatedly going after players that would have replaced him in the trade market, and he probably would have been sent out, was because of the shot selection issue. Dillon did not want to be a fourth or fifth offensive weapon.”

Brooks doesn’t bring a lot to the table offensively, but he can still be a very solid role player in this league, assuming he understands his place and role. If not, he might not even finish that deal in Houston.

The 2023-2024 NBA season will see the return of some familiar names, including Montrezl Harrell. Some Philadelphia 76ers fans thought it was time to let Harrell go, but the franchise resigned him to play in the upcoming season.

For some teams, it is difficult to let go of experienced players who did not have good numbers last season. These players can become salary burdens, which can prevent teams from signing other players.

Some fans are shocked that some players were resigned despite having bad attitudes and not working hard enough to earn a roster spot. Meanwhile, other players who worked hard were not offered new contracts or extensions.

Here are five players who will surprisingly return for the 2023-2024 NBA season:

1. Kris Dunn will be back in the NBA after a season playing in the G League. He signed with the Utah Jazz.

2. James Bouknight had multiple attitude problems and was found unconscious with a weapon in his car. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets and has been playing in the G League since 2021. He will play for the Dallas Mavericks this season.

3. Dante Exum never lived up to expectations as a point guard in the NBA. He played for the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers before going to Europe to play for FC Barcelona and Partizan Belgrade. He will play for the Dallas Mavericks this season.

4. Reggie Jackson signed a $10.3 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. He has only averaged more than 10 points per game once in his four seasons with the Clippers.

5. Dillon Brooks signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Houston Rockets. He had a bad season last year and was called the “Tank Commander.”

Dillon Brooks played 73 games as a starter with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2022-2023 season in what was his second season with that many games as a starter and the first with 30.3 minutes per game.

On the other hand, Fred VanVleet played his last season where he averaged 19.3 points per game in 69 starts with the Toronto Raptors after rejecting his player option, being a surprise to everyone, but others knew that his time with the franchise was coming to an end, especially after last season where he averaged 19.3 points per game in 69 starts.

However, despite the fact that they had bad seasons, it is likely that Brooks and VanVleet will join new teams to play in the upcoming 2023-2024 season. VanVleet is likely to have more offers than Brooks.

Why were VanVleet and Brooks labeled as Tank Commanders?

During a recent episode of The Mismatch podcast, Dillon Brooks’ stats were released where it was revealed that he took 991 shots and only made 39.6% of those shots which translates to 392/991. The worst thing is that only one other NBA player surpassed Brooks last season: Fred VanVleet with 1112 attempts and only scored 437 for 39.3%.

On the other hand, StatMuse also shared stats on the worst field goal attempts over the past season. Not only are VanVleet and Brooks below 40% at FG percentage, but Malik Beasley also makes the list with 39.5% and 937 attempts.

Throughout the course of history, we’ve seen multiple players rise up to the occasion in the postseason. They put their teams on their shoulders and take their production up a notch when it matters the most.

Likewise, the opposite happens sometimes as well. MVPs, Scoring Champions, and future Hall of Famers also wet the bed in the playoffs every now and then, and we’ll talk about this year’s most disappointing playoff performers.

The Most Disappointing Players In The 2022-23 NBA Playoffs

3. Dillon Brooks

It’s safe to say that no one expected Dillon Brooks to be a superstar in the playoffs, but he was flat-out horrible. He talked a lot, but couldn’t walk the walk, failing to embrace that villain role and playing himself out of the Memphis Grizzlies.

But even though Brooks isn’t a superstar by any means, people still expected him to be a huge defensive factor. That wasn’t the case, and two missed assignments wind up costing his team a win.

2. Jordan Poole

Jordan Poole acts like a superstar, but he’s not. He’s all smiles and dances when his shot is falling, but he won’t be held accountable when it isn’t. And if he’s not making shots, why is he even on the floor?

The Golden State Warriors signed him to a huge contract extension in the summer. Now, Coach Steve Kerr only played him 10 minutes because of his terrible defense and erratic offense. Oh, and he went scoreless.

1. Joel Embiid

To be fair, this is not on him. Joel Embiid’s numbers have been fairly unimpressive in the playoffs, but that’s mainly because he was hurt and is still working his way back to full strength.

Also, the Philadelphia 76ers didn’t need him to do much to get past the lesser Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Still, it’s the MVP we’re talking about, so we want to see him dominate just like he did in the regular season.