Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks: 'Villain' label played role in ejection

LOS ANGELES — Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks believes the perception of him as a «villain» factored into him being called for a flagrant foul 2 and ejected early in the third quarter of Saturday's Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brooks, who declined to comment after the game, explained after Sunday's practice at USC's Galen Center that his left hand striking LeBron James' groin was an accident as he attempted to steal the ball while the Lakers star dribbled up the court.

Brooks said he never received an explanation from referee Marc Davis, the crew chief, for the flagrant 2 call but speculated that his reputation influenced the decision, as well as Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden being ejected after striking the groin area of Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O'Neale in Game 3 of that series.

«The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain and then that just creates a whole different persona on me,» Brooks said. «So now you think I intended to hit LeBron James in the nuts. I'm playing basketball. I'm a basketball player. So if I intended — and that's whatever is in the flagrant 2 category — if you think I did that, that means you think I'm that type of person.»

Brooks won't face a suspension or any additional penalty for the foul following a review by the NBA, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The league reviews all flagrant fouls.

«I knew I wasn't going to be,» Brooks said. «They can't dictate this series like that. Marc probably had to call that 'cause of what happened [in Game 3] with James Harden, and that's just unfair. I get penalized, and I can't help my team try to make a comeback in the second half.»

It was Brooks' third ejection this season, matching the Boston Celtics' Marcus