Lakers' LeBron James Talks 'Too Small' Taunt on Dillon Brooks: 'That's Competition'

Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks helped to get LeBron James' competitive juices flowing as the four-time MVP led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105-104 victory Sunday night.

Throughout the contest, Brooks and James carried on the rivalry they began building last year. LeBron received a technical foul for lightly shoving Brooks in the third quarter.

Later in the quarter, he threw out the "too small" celebration after backing down Brooks and scoring on a baby hook.

"That's competition," James said of his opponent. "Those young guys, they get me going. So, I need that."

Brooks clearly struck a nerve with his trash talk toward LeBron in the middle of the 2023 NBA playoffs, and the King has a long memory.

James dropped a game-high 37 points on the Rockets along with eight assists, six rebounds and three steals. His free throw with 1.2 seconds on the clock is what sealed the victory for L.A. as well.

Brooks might be relishing his label as a "villain" of the NBA, but he might want to hop in a time machine and make it so that he never starting poking any bears.