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Dillon Brooks did not hide his preference ahead of Friday’s Western Conference play-in game between the Suns and Warriors.
“Steph and Draymond. That’s it. And Steve Kerr,” Brooks said when asked what about Golden State made him want the matchup. He added, “One of the best players ever to do it. Who else you want to go against?”
Brooks framed the game as exactly what the postseason demands. “It’s an elimination game,” he said. “He’s proven it over the years. They’ve been shown and battle tested in every way possible. So it’s a good matchup for us.”
The Suns forward said the key will be matching Golden State’s movement and making the game physical. “Playing physical, making them play both sides of the floor and challenging every shot beyond just Steph,” Brooks said. He also pointed to the Warriors’ off-ball action, saying, “A lot of off-ball movement, a lot of sharing the basketball, not really stagnant. So we’re going to have to stay together so we can get switches properly and force them to play iso basketball.”
Brooks said the defensive details have to hold for the full 48 minutes. “Just following our details, following our scout report and trying to do it to the best of our ability for forty eight minutes,” he said. “Being in spaces early and knowing where you’re guarding.”
The veteran wing also shrugged off the pressure that comes with a win-or-go-home game. “I guess it creates added pressure, but I’ve been in these games my whole life, college, high school, the NBA,” Brooks said. “So just go through your routine and whatever happens happens at that point.”
He said the Suns believe the crowd will be behind them. “I think we bring out our fans no matter who it is,” Brooks said. “I think the fans are going to be ready and they’ve been waiting for a couple years to see games like this and I know we’re going to be ready to play.”
Brooks also explained how he has worked back into the group after injury and how the Suns’ three-man scoring core is still growing. “I’m great. I’m good,” he said of his rhythm. “Three great scorers and we somehow got to find a way to play off each other because that can make us really really good.”
He closed with the kind of playoff message that fits his game. “Do whatever it takes to win,” Brooks said. “No matter if the ball’s falling, no matter if the shots missing, no matter if you turn over the basketball or having a hard day, do whatever it takes.”
