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ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith issued LeBron James a challenge after Dillon Brooks called James old following Game 2 of their playoff series on Wednesday night. With the series now tied 1-1, it will be up to James and the Lakers to defend home court as they look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead at Crypto.com arena.
After Game 2, outspoken defensive standout Dillon Brooks was quick to keep the trash talk going between him and James. Brook told media members that James was old and couldn't keep up with him.
The way Stephen A. Smith sees things, James simply cannot allow Dillon Brooks' postgame comments to go unchecked. With Game 3 scheduled for Saturday, he wants to see the LA Lakers superstar make a statement.
On Thursday's episode of ESPN's "First Take," Smith said:
"When you chirp like Dillon Brooks chirped last night, you gotta bust his ass, excuse my language. You literally got to do that. I'm not talking about games 4, 5, 6, 7 winning the series.
"I'm talking about in a game where you make a statement and you remind him who the hell you are. And this is one of those moments if you are LeBron James."
You can see his comments in the video above.
Stephen A. Smith looks back at Game 2
Stephen A. Smith said even though Anthony Davis struggled in Game 2, LeBron James needs to fire back at Dillon Brooks personally. After a night where James, despite recording 28 points and 12 rebounds, shot just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc, Smith wanted him to make a statement:
"Now I understand that you're pointing to Anthony Davis, Windy (Windhorst). I don't want to hear that, I don't want to hear about the nine more shots that Anthony Davis. Did you see how Anthony Davis looked last night? Did you see him? Did you see him? He looked likehthe entire game he looked like he just woke up."
Davis' performance seems to have been somewhat swept under the rug, with Dillon Brooks' postgame comments dominating the headlines. A viral clip from Tim MacMahon of the brash Grizzlies player standing in the locker room with his signature 'DB' chain had over 6.6 million views as of this morning.
(Suggested Reading: Analyst discusses what LeBron needs to do in Game 3)
Brooks said:
“I don’t care – he’s old. You know what I mean? I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say some when I got my fourth foul. He should have been saying that earlier on. But I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40.”
With Brooks and Stephen A. Smith both challenging LeBron to drop a monster game, only time will tell how things will play out.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
