Before the opening tip-off of Sunday's Game 1, while in possession of the ball, Suns wing Dillon Brooks was seen playing a one-sided game of keep-away with OKC Thunder star Chet Holmgren.
A clip of the interaction went viral on social media, with reporters even asking the big man to share his thoughts on the situation following Oklahoma City's 119-84 beatdown over Phoenix. Holmgren responded to the matter by saying, "I didn’t take it personal," and that Brooks "has his persona that he plays."
During a Tuesday shootaround, Brooks finally found himself chiming in on the matter, saying his antics were nothing more than "a routine" that he does before games, admitting that he didn't want to stray away from it because "one time this season I gave the ball to the guy and I regretted it."
Frankly, the fact that his Suns were absolutely dismantled by 35 points, while he personally had an incredibly inefficient night (18 points, four fouls, and two turnovers on 27.3 percent shooting from the floor), might make him want to rethink this whole superstitious approach to his pre-game ritual.
Suns have more to worry about than superstitions in Thunder series
Clearly, Dillon Brooks and the Suns have far more to worry about than pre-tip-off routines when it comes to their current quartefinal matchup against the Thunder.
Simply put, Oklahoma City unequivocally blew Phoenix out of the water in their series opener.
From holding them to a collective 34.9 percent shooting from the floor to personally seeing 13 of the club's 14 active players contribute in the scoring department, the Thunder absolutely dominated on both ends of the ball to now lead this best-of-seven series 1-0.
While there are a number of areas that can be pointed to as being the primary points of concern for the eight-seeded Suns, Devin Booker believes OKC's overwhelming production on both the offensive glass and in forcing turnovers is what truly stood out in Game 1, as he admitted that being out-rebounded 19 to 14 on the offensive end and commiting 17 turnovers is a "recipe for disaster."
Needless to say, the reigning champions made Phoenix pay in both of these categories, as the Thunder bested them both in second-chance points (25 to 22) and, most notably, points off of turnovers (32 to two).
Hopefully, Oklahoma City can find their dominant level of momentum roll into Wednesday's Game 2 where they look to take a commanding 2-0 lead before heading out to Arizona for a two-game stay.
Add us as a preferred source on Google