Suns are making a Dillon Brooks realization that Rockets fans know too well

Dillon Brooks is going to piss people off. Opposing players, opposing fans, fans of the team he plays for, coaches on all sides, Adam Silver (probably), the person reading this (probably). That's kind of his whole brand. Suns fans are quickly realizing that when Brooks is using his powers of annoyance for good, they legitimately help his team.

On Wednesday, Brooks won his team an opportunity... While the opponent shot a free throw. The Mavericks were at the line, and Brooks gave a light nudge to Daniel Gafford, who was standing next to him. Gafford responded with a slightly more emphatic push back, and at that point, Brooks knew it was game over.

When the free throw went up, Brooks immediately got into Gaffords' air space — not in any dirty way, but clearly trying to provoke Gafford to cross a line... Which he did! Gafford gave Brooks a tricep to the chin, Brooks went flailing to the court, and the Suns were awarded a free throw and the ball for the foul, which was deemed a flagrant.

These are the kinds of advantages that Brooks can provide for a team. On a team like Phoenix, which will not often be the more talented team on the court, these advantages will pay off in a big way. You'd think that eventually, NBA teams and players would understand to completely ignore everything Brooks does in an attempt to provoke them, but they can't stay away! He lures them in like fruit flies to a sugar trap. Everyone knows what he's trying to do, and he still does it.

Suns fans are quickly learning about Dillon Brooks' antics

Of course, there will also be nights when Brooks tries — and fails — to rage bait an opponent, and ends up hurting his team in the process. It's the give-and-take with Brooks that his team has to be okay with, because the pros are real, even though the cons are, too.

On the court, Brooks has been a necessary offensive boon to the Suns lackluster scoring attack. Brooks has scored at least 15 games in all six games he's played this year, and the Suns are 4-2 in those games.

He's been exactly what the Suns wanted him to be on both ends, and so far, he's been the productive type of villain that Rockets fans loved. Eventually, Suns fans will see the downside of Brooks' villain role that Rockets fans, and Grizzlies fans before them, could have done without. But when you add a villain, you get all parts of said villain.