Jordan Ott dismissed the notion that it was Dillon Brooks who ruined the Phoenix Suns' comeback efforts to win it against the LA Lakers this Sunday.
The Phoenix Suns were on the verge of pulling a dramatic victory on Sunday night over the Los Angeles Lakers, coming back from being down 20 as Dillon Brooks drained the go-ahead trey with 12.2 seconds left to give them a 114-113 lead.
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But in the blink of an eye, the Suns have completely fumbled their momentum as Brooks angrily chest bumped LeBron James following his clutch shot.
This action earned the Suns forward his second technical foul and eventual ejection.
Upon this, many have thought that Brooks cost the Suns the victory. But right after the game, head coach Jordan Ott offered a much different perspective.
"I’m not sure it cost us. [James] missed a free throw, right? What we love is his emotion," Ott said about Brooks on their 116-114 loss. "We’re with him.
"He’s brought so much to this city and this franchise: his energy, his passion, his hard work, his attitude every single day. We love him."
As it is, James missed the technical free throw from Brooks' ejection, and the Lakers only managed to get the lead after LeBron ultimately drained two of his three foul shots in the referees' questionable late call on the next possession against Devin Booker with 3.9 seconds left.
Despite his heated face-off against James all night long, Brooks was instrumental for Phoenix against LA, finishing with 18 points and 4 triples.
Since being acquired last offseason from the Houston Rockets in the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade, he has been a major element in the team's surprising start so far as the No. 7 team in the West with a 14-12 record, averaging 21.6 points, 3.0 boards and 1.4 steals.
The Suns will continue to rally behind Brooks as they'll aim to bounce back on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors.
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