Jrue Holiday was an integral part of the Milwaukee Bucks 2021 championship squad. Many argue that trading for him that summer convinced Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a contract extension and remain with the team. His loyalty was rewarded almost instantly, as the Bucks won a championship that year itself.
The Bucks were mostly dominant through the playoffs. They swept the Miami Heat in the first round, comfortably beat the Atlanta Hawks in the Conference Finals, and won 4 in a row after losing 2 games to the Phoenix Suns. However, the second-round series was an absolutely brutal 7-game tiff with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Bucks managed to beat the Nets because of injuries to James Harden and Kyrie Irving and a historic Game 7 moment where a Kevin Durant three to win the game was ruled as a two because his toes were on the line. The Bucks closed the series out in OT and Jrue Holiday opened up about the impact of that series on him.
Full audio of Bucks star Jrue Holiday on The Woj Pod: https://t.co/871ua0Kfxs pic.twitter.com/opGb991x2y
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 9, 2023
“It took years off my life. Every time I step into Barclays it’s like PTSD, for me personally. Every time I step in, I feel this excitement and nervousness, like I’m not the type to get nervous while playing basketball. I have played it my whole life. That series took so much out of me personally and the way KD was just willing his team and putting them on his back. It doesn’t give me nightmares because we won but I still see it all the time. To me that was one of the greatest series I have ever been a part of, but for it to go to game 7, everyone hitting big shots, Kyrie goes down, James comes back, everything about it to me was like a movie to me. It took a physical and emotional toll and I think it helped us come back in the Finals being down 2-0.”
Holiday’s defense was lauded for the Bucks’ title run, with him pulling off an iconic steal and throwing a perfect lob to Giannis to clinch the title in the Finals. However, those Kevin Durant performances were among the greatest in NBA playoff history.
Would A Healthy Nets Have Beaten The Bucks?
The Nets sit with no championships after 4 years of constructing this team. 2021 was truly their best chance, as they were at their strongest that season. The playoffs ended up taking out both Irving and Harden, and Durant single-handedly still managed to take them to Game 7. Many people reckon that good health would have led to the Nets seeing out their 2-0 start to the series and qualifying further.
The first 2 games were dominant wins for the Nets, but Irving’s injury changed everything. However, we can’t conclusively say that the Nets would have won. Any number of factors can affect a game. Durant’s performances wouldn’t exist without the injuries, so maybe Irving and Harden struggle in a few games and give the Bucks a window to contention.
What we know is what actually happened, which was the Bucks winning in 7 and then winning a title. Giannis Antetokounmpo secured his legacy as one of the best players of all-time and Holiday’s career-long reputation as one of the most underrated players in the league finally was rewarded with a title.
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