Heat's Norman Powell receives the Dillon Brooks treatment most players hate

"Powell isn't one for on-court confrontations, and there's no real history of him engaging in that behaviour. That said, there's always a first, and Tuesday night saw the two players clash, or crash, into each other in what could have been a very dangerous play. Powell did put up 27 points in the contest, but it did not come without avoiding the snare of Brooks, who initiated a short scuffle during the game."

"Powell got a first-hand example of this in Miami's 127-121 win over Phoenix earlier this week. The incident occurred late in the third quarter, when Brooks appeared to have given Powell a shove. Brooks had driven hard to the basket, and Powell moved in to impede his progress. After Powell had successfully broken the play up, he went crashing into the basketball stanchion and fell to the floor."

"That's where Brooks plays, though, isn't it? On the line, right up to the line, over the line - whichever way you want to put it, the "line" is where Brooks spends most of his time, and you have to give credit where credit is due: he is great at it. That's why Brooks is a player you want on your team, but despise the thought of playing against him."

Dillon Brooks consistently plays as an on-court agitator, pushing boundaries of physicality and provocation. His confrontational style raises anticipation in matchups, especially versus LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets. In a recent game, Brooks targeted Norman Powell during the Suns-Heat contest, initiating a scuffle after a drive that resulted in Powell crashing into the stanchion. Powell scored 27 points and said he was not phased, but acknowledged that Brooks crossed a 'line in the sand.' Brooks often flirts with the line between legal physical play and dangerous contact, making him valued by teammates and disliked by opponents.

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