For the second straight season, the Houston Rockets have exceeded expectations, currently sitting at the fourth seed in a bloodbath that is the Western Conference. Led by All-Star big Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, and Dillon Brooks, this is a deep and dangerous team despite a lack of playoff experience.
One man who has plenty of playoff experience is Brooks, who was one of the additions last year that helped shift the team's culture under coach Ime Udoka. His mean, irritant defense helped Houston establish a defensive identity. While Fred VanVleet would be considered a pro's pro by most, I'd list Brooks as an irritant's irritant — he has gotten under the skin of some of the best players in our sport (or tried). And if the current West standings hold, he could see one of his greatest nemeses in a blockbuster first-round matchup.
Dillion Brooks Rockets vs LeBron James Lakers playoff matchup is on the table
Brooks thought he could play mind games with LeBron James in his Memphis Grizzlies days, but that backfired. During the 2023 playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers joined a small list of seven seeds to upset the second seed in the first round, toppling Brooks and the Grizz. But that didn't stop Brooks from engaging in a tough wrestling match.
Classic Dillon Brooks on his confrontation with LeBron James: “I don’t care. He’s old. … I poke bears. I don’t respect someone until he gives me 40.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2023
And Brooks had plenty more to say. pic.twitter.com/uWLONrubPZ
After LeBron decimated the Grizzles in Game 2, Brooks dismissed the performance and continued to troll. Those quotes ended up hurting the Grizzlies in the long run, but they did add to the flair of the series. Nostalgic fans say they miss true rivalries in the NBA, but the Brooks vs. LeBron matchups have that old-fashioned feel to them; these men really, really don't seem to like each other.
We got some of those same theatrics when Brooks arrived in Houston. In a late January matchup, Brooks was ecstatic because he got a bucket on LeBron, and his Rockets were wiping the floor with the Lakers. Brooks got a little too eager and clubbed LeBron upside the head when the game was already decided. He got hit with a flagrant 1, and the Brooks vs. James saga caught another spark.
In no way is Brooks LeBron's rival, though. He's not accomplished enough, and hasn't fared well enough head-to-head; James is 15-7 vs Brooks in the regular season and 4-2 in their only playoff matchup. With the Rockets again ahead of schedule and the Lakers hanging around, there's a chance we get a Rockets-Lakers first-round matchup.
This potential showdown would be the first taste of playoff basketball for these young Rockets —they'd lean on the experience of Brooks and the 2019 NBA champion VanVleet. On the other side, the Lakers are battle-tested between Luka Doncic and James. The Rockets are the deeper team on paper, but it's hard to pick against a James-led team, especially when the opposition isn't playoff-tested.
If this matchup comes to fruition, we will get memeable moments between James and Brooks, but ultimately, the Lakers would march to the second round with the 40-year-old superstar dispatching Brooks like he frequently does (Brooks has outscored LeBron once in 22 matchups).