The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 120-119 in overtime on Thursday night. With the win, the Bucks clinched a spot in the playoffs. The Nets, on the other hand, fell to the ninth seed and appear to be headed for the play-in tournament. After the game, Nets’ star Kyrie Irving had some strong words about the Bucks and how they play the game:
Kyrie Irving on the Bucks:
“They were playing pretty physical. I think they were a little reckless at times. Just on a lot of their fouls. Or a few of their fouls. That’s who they are. But I think it was just reckless at times.”
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) April 1, 2022
Why Did Kyrie Irving Say That?
The statement made by Kyrie Irving probably stemmed from a flagrant-two foul that was called on Khris Middleton with six minutes left in the game.
Khris Middleton was ejected after this foul. pic.twitter.com/WblBFZEdwR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 1, 2022
Middleton was ejected for the play, sending social media into a frenzy. Many Brooklyn Nets fans used the incident to paint the Bucks as a dirty team. They pointed to Grayson Allen’s foul on Alex Caruso earlier this season as well as questionable plays from last year’s playoff run. Many are even point to Giannis Antetokounmpo being a dirty player, which is about as misinformed as it gets.
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Why Kyrie Irving’s Statement Is Ridiculous
If the Bucks were really the more reckless of the two teams, it would stand to reason that the Nets were the team that attempted the most free throws. The opposite, however, was true. The Brooklyn Nets committed 25 fouls in the game, sending the Bucks to the free throw line 34 times. The Bucks, on the other hand, committed 14 fouls and sent the Nets to the line 16 times.
Aside from stats, one other NBA star felt very differently than Kyrie and the Nets about the Middleton foul.
ejected??? nah dawg, this is wild
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) April 1, 2022
Then, of course, there is the way teams, including the Nets, attack Giannis every single night:
This was def a foul 😂 pic.twitter.com/XHLkqJyBpG
— Famouslos32 (@famouslos32) April 1, 2022
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