The Milwaukee Bucks brought their second championship in franchise history back in 2021 when the team defeated the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. The Bucks were able to overcome a 50-year championship drought to bring those honors to Milwaukee. Speaking on it recently, former Bucks player Justin Jackson revealed the real reason for what led the team to win their 2021 NBA championship. And it wasn’t Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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Recently, Justin Jackson sat down with Theo Pinson to discuss the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 championship run. And he credited the injuries to the Brooklyn Nets as the sole reason for the Bucks to win the title.
“If James Harden and Kyrie Irving do not get hurt they low-key sweep us when I was with the Bucks. They beat us by 40 in the first two games in Brooklyn…There was nothing we could do and then injuries happened, period.”
The Brooklyn Nets should have won a championship…
“If James Harden and Kyrie Irving do not get hurt they low-key sweep us when I was with the Bucks.”
– Justin Jackson pic.twitter.com/9Mo0rCIH6a
— Tidal League (@TidalLeague) February 14, 2024
Justin Jackson revealed how the injuries to the Brooklyn Nets’ star players ended up being the biggest factor that the Bucks were able to make that title run. He first dove into the injury to James Harden.
“The crazy thing is James got hurt. He got hurt in the first game and they still beat us by 40 in the second game. That’s what’s crazy about it.”
Within the first minute of Game 1 between the Bucks and the Nets, James Harden ended up injuring his right hamstring. He was placed as a decoy in Game 5 for the Nets. Though he went 1-10 from the field, the Nets did win the fifth game of the series.
“Then we go to Brooklyn and Ky, it looked like they were still in charge of the series. Ky rolls his ankle and it’s like, ‘Bro, we actually might have a chance now.”
After leading the series 2-1, Brooklyn suffered their second blow as they lost Kyrie Irving to an injury for the rest of the series. Irving ended up rolling his ankle and that was the last of Uncle Drew that fans got to see during the 2021 NBA playoffs.
“And Yo, we went to Game 7 and if KD’s shoe was one size smaller, we lose it…So, if that team was healthy, they were winning the entire thing. I don’t care what anybody says. But sports happened, injuries happened.”
The series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets still ended up going to seven games even without Kyrie Irving and James Harden in the lineup. The outcome of the game was in balance till the last shot.
If Kevin Durant’s foot was not on the line when he took that last-second shot, the Brooklyn Nets would’ve advanced to the next round, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks. In fact, in the entire 2021 NBA postseason, the series with the Brooklyn Nets was the only one that went to seven games for the Milwaukee Bucks. So, Justin Jackson may have a point after all.
Could the Nets win if they still had Kyrie Irving?
The Brooklyn Nets had already lost James Harden in the first game before he could make any impact on the team. Yet, the Nets were able to win not just Game 1 but the second game on their home court as well.
Kyrie Irving had 25 points in Game 1 with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal for the game. Durant on the other hand had 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal for the first game.
In Game 2, the Nets absolutely obliterated the Bucks as they won the game by a 39-point margin. Irving finished the game with 22 points whereas Durant led the Nets with a 32-point performance.
Kyrie Irving repeated a 22-point performance in their first loss of the series to the Bucks in Game 3. Kevin Durant finished the night with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block for the night.
Then came Game 4 where the Nets lost Irving. In just 17 minutes of playing time, Irving had 11 points already. Had he not gone down, the Nets still had a great chance at winning the series or at least finishing it early.
Even Irving addressed this aspect when asked about his series with the Bucks last year.
“One of the most disappointing and painful moments of my career. If I don’t get hurt in that series, every single one of us on that Brooklyn team/bandwagon would be Champions. No fuc*ing doubt about it.”
Clearly, that series is still fresh in Irving’s memory and will probably be one of his biggest regrets for years to come. But the Nets may have had a chance to win it all that postseason.
