The rivalry between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets will have another interesting chapter added to it this season. While last year didn’t end up going to plan for either team, the Bucks did go a step farther than the Nets in the playoffs. Ultimately both teams lost to the Boston Celtics.
The 2021 playoff clash between the Bucks and the Nets gave birth to this rivalry, as the Bucks toppled an injured Nets squad in Game 7 en route to winning the championship. One of the key moments in that series was when Kyrie Irving injured his ankle by landing on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ankle.
Notable Nets fan, Brooklyn Netcast shared a clip of Giannis lunging at Kyrie’s ankles during their preseason game and claimed that Giannis has intentionally done this before as well. Other fans have weighed in.
This is like the 5th time in 3 years that Giannis has dived at Kyrie’s ankles, disgusting. https://t.co/15bz9oRIXj
— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) October 13, 2022
— Ballsack Sports (@BallsackSports) October 13, 2022
i noticed he did that too
— ⚔️ 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝘽𝙧𝙪𝙝𝙝 ⚔️ (@HighliteSZN) October 13, 2022
Diving for the ball
— Anthony Fantastic (@tweet_mymeat) October 13, 2022
Not gunna lie just looks like he was diving for the loose ball
— -_- (@PaddockMatthew) October 13, 2022
He’s literally just going for the ball. Y’all looking to deep into it because of the past.
— W (@Goat23123) October 13, 2022
Anybody who thinks this is dirty has never played a competitive game of basketball before
— Justin GayG (@Ricks_Picks_MMA) October 13, 2022
— SinCere Stallion (@SinCityFilmz) October 13, 2022
post the other 4 times
— Alex™️ (@scumfckfl0wrboy) October 13, 2022
So your not allowed to dive for a loose ball if it’s near a player?
— Bucks After Dark (@BucksAfterDark) October 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/Kaineisback2/status/1580377634479144963
Most fans seem to brush aside the accusation of Giannis intentionally injuring Kyrie, which is fair considering we have never seen Giannis have such instances before. But that was an objectively risky dive that Giannis took and could have caused an injury to Irving prior to the season even starting.
Will The Bucks And Nets Build Their Rivalry This Season?
Both teams are primed to be amongst the best in the conference this season, with the Bucks hoping to have better injury luck this season with their championship core still intact. The Brooklyn Nets will hope for the same, in addition to a seamless fit with their new player, Ben Simmons.
If the teams are among the top seeds in the East when it is playoff time, fans will wait with bated breath for this clash. These are 2 of the most feared teams in the league and will most likely have to go through each other if they want to reach the NBA Finals.
