Steve Kerr on Dillon Brooks Foul: ‘That Wasn’t Physical, That Was Dirty’

Dillon Brooks was ejected in the first quarter after committing a flagrant-2 foul on Gary Payton II.

In Tuesday night’s Game 2 of the Grizzlies–Warriors series, Memphis guard Dillon Brooks was ejected following a flagrant-2 foul on Gary Payton II. The play left coach Steve Kerr upset on the sidelines.

Payton shot his two free throws, and then left for the locker room to get X-rays on his left elbow. He was later ruled out after suffering a left elbow injury. Further details regarding the injury have not been released as of Tuesday night.

In a mid-game interview, Kerr was asked about the physicality of the game, specifically Brooks’s foul. He kept his answer simple.

“No, that wasn’t physical, that was dirty,” Kerr said.

"No that wasn't physical, that was dirty."

–– Steve Kerr on the Grizzlies' first-quarter playpic.twitter.com/EduKwFDgw6

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 4, 2022

Following the foul, Kerr yelled at the Memphis bench shouting “Get the f---out of here,” via The Athletic.

Brooks’s foul came after he hit Payton across the head and sent the Warriors guard to the ground landing on his left elbow. Brooks finished the game with only three minutes of playing time and zero points.

This was the second time already in this series that a player was ejected with a flagrant foul. On Sunday, Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected after committing a flagrant-2, sparking controversy across the league. 

The Warriors won Game 1 on Sunday with a 117-116 victory.