Giannis Antetokounmpo has commented on the post-game antics between the Bucks and the Pacers, as both teams tried to secure the game ball for themselves after Giannis broke the Bucks franchise record with a 64-point outing in a Bucks win.
“I have no idea. I really don’t know, I have the ball but don’t know if it was the game ball. Doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. Feels like a brand-new ball, I can tell because I played 35 minutes tonight. I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, I’ll take and give it to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it was the actual game ball. But it’s okay. I don’t even have, this hurts me, I don’t even have the game ball from Game 6 of the NBA Finals. I have never seen this before. I’m not even gonna comment, but I don’t think I have the game ball. I know they had the game ball.”
The saga takes another turn. Giannis says he is not sure if the game ball he received is the actual game ball. He also reveals he doesn’t possess the Game 6 Finals game ball either.
Full answer: pic.twitter.com/dcIxc17oJr
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 14, 2023
Giannis went on to say that he thinks Damian Lillard deserved the game ball more than him because he crossed Kyle Korver on the all-time three-point shooting list and is now in the top five.
This entire game was chippy, starting from hard fouls exchanged during the contest to everything that happened after the contest. The Bucks security allegedly had retrieved the game ball from the Pacers, but it’s clear that Giannis doubts that.
The revelation that Giannis doesn’t have the game ball from the 2021 Finals-clinching game 6 win where he scored 50 points is quite incredible as well. He must wonder who has that ball today. If we see it being auctioned off in 20 years, we’ll finally know, but for now, it remains a mystery.
Rick Carlisle Claims Pacers GM Was Injured By A Bucks Player After the Game
Indiana Pacers head coach was among the first at the podium in the post-game press conference, giving full details on what was happening from the Pacers’ side during everything.
“What happened after the game was unfortunate. There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official NBA point… We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway… I don’t think any punches were landed but my GM got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. He certainly has a bruised rib. Unfortunate situation, we don’t need the official game ball. There are two game balls, we could have taken the other one. It didn’t need to escalate to that.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle on why the team tried to keep the game ball: “It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official NBA point…We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise [64-point] record.” He also says a Bucks player elbowed their GM in the ribs. pic.twitter.com/iknKLN4l0w
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 14, 2023
Carlisle has made it seem like the Bucks overreacted to the situation in the moment, but it could be a retelling of events that’s more sympathetic to the Pacers. We won’t know if one story is the absolute truth for sure or not. If the Pacers don’t care about which ball they got, maybe they can offer Giannis their ball for his supposedly unused ball as a peace offering.
This may be the genesis of a rivalry, as the Pacers are on the rise and also eliminated the Bucks from the In-Season Tournament. If this is the 3-6 or 2-7 playoff matchup in the first round, it’ll be an incredible battle.
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