Even the teammates of Dillon Brooks believe that his Flagrant 2 foul on Gary Payton II was over the top.
The Memphis Grizzlies forward-guard was suspended for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals after his foul on Payton in the first quarter of Game 2 that resulted in the Warriors forward fracturing his left elbow and sustaining ligament and muscle damage.
Brooks' teammate, Grizzlies power forward Brandon Clarke, joined "The Lowe Podcast" with ESPN's Zach Lowe, where he admitted that the foul on Payton was "way too hard."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“Playoff ball is tough," Clarke told Lowe. "There’s so many emotions, there’s so much going on, and everybody wants to win so bad. I think players can get caught up in that and kind of act out when they shouldn’t act out. I think Dillon obviously feels bad, I haven’t really talked with him much, but I saw that Gary is injured from the play.
“I watched it again, and Dillon definitely fouled him way too hard and did something that he shouldn’t have done. But it’s tough. There’s obviously falls every game that could definitely result in somebody getting hurt, but you really don’t want to see somebody get hurt off a flagrant, obviously. I know that Dillon feels bad. It’s just a real bad part of the game, but hopefully, we all can move on from that.”
RELATED: NBA fines Draymond $25K for flipping off Memphis fans
Clarke's opinion is consistent with what appears to be the overwhelming consensus around the league in that Brooks' foul on Payton was clearly excessive.
Golden State Warriors
After sustaining an injury that could sideline Payton for the remainder of the playoffs, the Warriors will be without one of their best defenders against Ja Morant and the Grizzlies.