Dillon Brooks Wished For The Warriors. Tonight, His Wish Is Granted

Dillon Brooks looked reporters dead in the eye Wednesday night, heard the question about who he wanted to face in the play-in, and answered with his deepest wish.

“Steph and Draymond. That’s it. And Steve Kerr.”

Man called his shot. Respect the confidence. I can’t blame him, the Golden State Warriors (specifically those three legends) have put Brooks through multiple displays of public basketball humiliation.

This is the third act of a rivalry that Brooks has been losing since 2022. It started in Memphis, when he committed a flagrant foul so heinous on Gary Payton II in the Western Conference Semifinals that he got suspended. GP2 broke his elbow, but the Warriors eliminated Memphis with extreme prejudice. Brooks got a flight home.

He reloaded in Houston. Same attitude, new uniform, same result. His brand of dogged, swarming, trash talking defense was on full display. Until he pissed off Curry and Jimmy Butler and they buried the the Rockets in seven games in a shocking upset.

Now he’s a Sun. Third franchise, same storyline still chasing him. Playing with a kind of freedom Memphis tried to rein in and Houston never fully unlocked. He’s walking into Friday’s game averaging a career-high 20.2 points per game. The man is locked in. Nobody is disputing that.

But here’s what makes tonight genuinely fascinating. Brooks isn’t just talking noise for bulletin board material. He actually believes this is the matchup he wants. He really wants the smoke. There’s something almost admirable about a man who has been eliminated by this organization, in multiple configurations, across multiple franchises, and responds by requesting a third appointment.

The Suns went 1-3 against Golden State this season. Brooks knows all of this. He was there for it. And tonight he has his home game wish of facing the Dubs granted. If there was ever a time to knock the Warriors off their dynastic pedestal, it’s gotta be tonight right? They’re limping, coming off a do-or-die comeback win two nights ago, with no Jimmy Butler in uniform thanks to his season ending injury.

Maybe Dillon Brooks has finally figured something out that three years of evidence suggests he hasn’t. Or tonight becomes the latest installment of a very personal losing streak.

Either way, he asked for it. Are his eyes bigger than his stomach yet again? Tune in tonight to find out.