The Milwaukee Bucks’ run to the NBA title in 2021 is among the most remarkable and memorable of the past decade. Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way and ending the franchise’s 50-year wait for a championship was the stuff of legends. However, it’s easy to forget they almost didn’t make it past the second round.
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During an appearance on the Draymond Green Show, Jeff Teague, who joined the Bucks midway through the 2021 season, revealed he wasn’t too optimistic about Milwaukee’s odds of winning the title. The guard signed with the Boston Celtics at the start of the campaign, hoping to win a championship before he retired.
However, four months into the season, he was traded to the Orlando Magic, who waived him just two days later. Teague signed a short-term deal with the Bucks and reunited with his former head coach Mike Budenholzer. The team swept the Heat in the first round to set up a Conference semifinal clash against the Nets.
The Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden-led roster were the title favorites and played like it in the series’ first two games. They raced to a 2-0 series lead and many, including Teague, felt the Bucks stood no chance against the star-studded roster. However, things changed in Game 3. The retired guard told host Draymond Green,
“The second game, we get blasted by like, 55. It was crazy. It was not even close. We’re like, we don’t stand a chance. Kyrie rolls his ankle in the third game, and you could see like the light switch, like, we could beat them now.”
Teague revealed Irving’s unfortunate ankle injury that ruled him out of the series and Harden’s hamstring issues fortified the Bucks’ faith. The team now believed they could take down the injury-riddled Nets. Brooklyn still pushed the series to a Game 7 and Durant had seemingly eliminated them with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
However, less than an inch of size 18 foot was on the line and the shot was ruled a two-pointer, sending the game to overtime. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks took care of business and secured the win to advance to the Conference Finals.
They beat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 to win the East and upstaged the Phoenix Suns by the same scoreline in the NBA Finals to win the championship. Teague was able to finish his career as a champion. But the celebration that followed in Milwaukee didn’t meet his expectations.
Jeff Teague was disappointed with the celebration in Milwaukee
Following the Bucks’ title-clinching Game 6 win over the Suns, Teague expected a wild celebration in Milwaukee. However, the afterparty didn’t come close to meeting the guard’s expectations.
Jeff Teague be trying tf outta the bucks any second he gets pic.twitter.com/iHMml9B1is
— Almighty Trav (@Almightytrav13) May 12, 2024
During an episode of the Club 520 podcast, Teague revealed that the celebrations in Milwaukee were rather dull, prompting him and a few teammates to plan an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. However, the plan failed after Antetokounmpo shot it down. The retired guard said,
“We won a chip, I ain’t care bro. Our afterparty was trash… Me, PJ Tucker, Bobby Portis, we like, let’s go to Vegas, y’all, it ain’t no party in Milwaukee… So we asked Giannis, ‘You wanna go to Vegas?’ He said, ‘Nah, I’m going to celebrate with my family’. Once Giannis say it’s over, it’s over.”
A disappointed Teague got into his truck and headed back home. He celebrated the aftermath of the crowning moment of his career hanging out with his friends and playing NBA 2K. The guard is glad to have finished his career with a championship. However, he’ll always be irked that he didn’t get to celebrate it as he had envisioned.
