"He's acting like a h**" - Matt Barnes smokes Dillon Brooks for blaming media for his 'villain' image

Dillon Brooks seems to be cementing his place as one of the NBA's biggest villains this season. Between his defensive abilities and his love for trash talk, Brooks has repeatedly made headlines for his long list of feuds with NBA players.

After a showdown with the Golden State Warriors following the All-Star break, Brooks stated that he hated the team, something that didn't sit well with Draymond Green. Although the outspoken Warriors star believed Brooks' on-court antics were an effort to bait him into a technical, his comments earned a scathing response.

Fast forward to the Memphis Grizzlies' ongoing playoff series with the LA Lakers, and Brooks made headlines early on for calling LeBron James old. In a time where players like Patrick Beverley receive plenty of support for their hard-nosed defense and love for trash talk, Brooks seemed right at home.

Brooks then made an abrupt turn, claiming that it was the media portraying him as a villain. According to Matt Barnes, that isn't the case. During a recent episode of "What's Burnin' with Rachel Nichols," the NBA vet shot down Brooks' claims of being a victim.

"How do you talk s**t and then try to say that the media and the fans are making you a villain? And then when you start getting your head busted you don't want to talk to the media no more? It's easy to talk s**t when s**t is cool. But when your back is against the wall, you got to stand on what you're talking.

"And now you wanna 'I'm out' and 'I'm not talking to the media.' He's acting like a h**, straight up, and he's trying to point fingers at everyone else, that s**t is weak."

You can see Barnes' comments in the video above.

What did Dillon Brooks say to make so many people turn on him?

Although Dillon Brooks' trash talk may have rubbed some fans the wrong way, he seemed to enjoy playing the villain. Thus, it took many by surprise when he began to turn down post-game media scrums and portray himself as a victim of the media.

After the Grizzlies' Game 2 win over the LA Lakers, Brooks stated that he wished he could have competed against LeBron James in his prime. He claimed that at 38 years old, James is no longer the tough defensive assignment he once was. After Dillon Brooks was ejected for striking James in the groin in Game 3, his attitude shifted.

Memphis Grizzlies v Phoenix Suns

Ahead of Game 4, he blamed media members for making him out to be a villain:

“The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain and then that just creates a whole different persona on me. So now you think I intended to hit LeBron James in the (groin). I’m playing basketball. I’m a basketball player.

"So if I intended — and that’s whatever is in the flagrant 2 category — if you think I did that, that means you think I’m that type of person.”

So far, other NBA vets, including Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Richard Jefferson, have all criticized Brooks' spin on things.

He and the Memphis Grizzlies will have a chance to even the series on Friday night in Los Angeles in a pivotal 'win or go home' game.