The 2019 NBA Finals has been a battle of two iconic players. Who is the better player? LeBron James or Kevin Durant?
The “bucks injury report” is a sports blog that keeps track of the injuries and performance for all teams in the NBA. It’s also worth noting that this article was not written by a Bucks player, but an anonymous writer who has been given access to the team’s medical staff.
Despite forming a partnership over a year ago, the Brooklyn Nets’ Big Three have yet to play together. They’ve only played together in 15 games over the course of two seasons.
Despite their problems, Kyrie Irving seems to prefer to place responsibility on others. Irving seemed to infer that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo purposefully damaged him during the 2021 playoffs when discussing Kevin Durant’s recent injury and the limited of minutes the Big Three had played together.
Due to injury, the Brooklyn Nets’ playoff journey in 2021 came to an end early.
*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow
During the 2021 playoffs, it looked like the Nets were on their way to the NBA Finals. They handily defeated the Boston Celtics in five games in the first round with the Big Three firing on all cylinders. They seemed to be unstoppable.
However, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks, James Harden suffered an injury. The Nets still led the series 2-0, but they lost Game 3 and Kyrie Irving suffered a damaged ankle in Game 4.
The Nets were subsequently defeated by Milwaukee in the fourth game, and a banged-up Harden returned for Games 5–7. However, Irving did not play the rest of the series, and the Nets were defeated in seven games by the Bucks.
Kyrie had been out for seven months with that injury, but he just brought it up after the Nets’ defeat.
Kyrie Irving seemed to point the finger at Giannis Antetokounmpo for his injury.
When talking about his injuries from last year’s playoffs, Kyrie Irving utilized air quotes when suggesting Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot “just happened to be in the way.”
— Kristian Winfield #NFTAllStar (@Krisplashed) January 17, 2022
After missing the first several months of the season, Kyrie Irving has lately returned to his club. The Nets first refused to let him play part-time due to his unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccination, but they have subsequently changed their minds.
Irving’s star teammate Kevin Durant, though, suffered an MCL injury only a few games after his return. KD has been suspended indefinitely.
Due to Durant’s current injury, he, Irving, and James Harden have only appeared in 15 games together since Brooklyn acquired the latter in January 2021. Following the Nets’ Jan. 17 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving addressed their lack of playing time together.
“It’s a lot to process; what we intended to be and what we still intend to be but all these hiccups and uncontrollable things,” Irving said, per SNY.
“Last year in the playoffs, James went out,” he said, bringing up his postseason injury.
“And then I’m going up for a shot, and Giannis walks over, and his foot just happens to be in the way,” Irving stated before making air quotes with his fingers.
OK, what?
We don’t know for sure if Irving was blaming Antetokounmpo or not, but his words and actions appeared to indicate that he was.
“I just believe it’s one of those things where real life takes precedent over this game so much,” he concluded. And anything can happen while you’re out there. Our day will come. It’s on its way. It may not be right now, but I have a feeling that some of the events that occur are for a reason, and they are part of a larger plan. And then we’ll see what transpires.”
Kyrie Irving has only himself to blame (and his unfortunate luck with injuries)
On Jan. 5, 2022, Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets poses before a game against the Indiana Pacers. | Getty Images/Andy Lyons
Kyrie Irving has a history of believing in conspiracy theories, and believing Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to injure him would be his most outlandish yet.
Antetokounmpo was only attempting to assist on defense when the action occurred. He probably didn’t even have time to consider where Irving’s foot would fall as he came down after his shot. However, if you believe he did, keep in mind that Antetokounmpo does not have a reputation for being a nasty player. In reality, the reverse is true. He’s one of the NBA’s most well-liked players.
However, Kyrie seems to be blaming people a lot lately, as he recently complained about Portland Trail Blazers player Nassir Little’s hustle, which caused Irving to injure his ankle.
The 2011 No. 1 overall choice, on the other hand, has only himself to blame (and his bad luck). Because he refused to acquire the COVID-19 vaccination, the Nets’ Big Three hasn’t played together much this season. It’s alright if he doesn’t want to get vaccinated. It is, however, his choice and no one else’s.
Not to mention the fact that Irving isn’t always Ironman. Throughout his career, he has been wounded multiple times, dating back to his collegiate days at Duke. Wasn’t it also someone else’s fault in each of those cases?
Kyrie Irving is a fantastic basketball player. It’s bad that he missed games in the playoffs last year, but blaming anybody for his injury woes and the Big Three’s lack of playing time together is ridiculous. Last year, Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked the Nets from reaching the NBA Finals, but he didn’t accomplish it by playing rough. He achieved it by being an MVP candidate and being on the floor for his team when they needed him the most, something Irving hasn’t always been able to do.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
When asked about Kyrie Irving’s vaccination status, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a rare and insightful response: ‘It takes so much energy and takes energy away from basketball.’
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the Greek basketball player who has been nicknamed “The Greek Freak” because of his height. He stands at 6’9″. Reference: giannis antetokounmpo height.
Related Tags
- giannis injury video
- giannis antetokounmpo injury twitter
- giannis antetokounmpo acl
- giannis antetokounmpo net worth
- giannis antetokounmpo brothers
