Knicks' Derrick Rose Received 1st-Place MVP Vote from Fans
Jun 8, 2021
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 30: Derrick Rose #4 of the New York Knicks high fives Taj Gibson #67 of the New York Knicks during Round 1, Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on May 30, 2021 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic earned all but 10 available first-place votes for the NBA MVP award.
Of those 10 voters who thought other players were more deserving, five tabbed Stephen Curry, two Chris Paul and one each Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo...and Derrick Rose.
According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Rose won the fan vote for the award. League spokesman Tim Frank confirmed the report in speaking to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Naturally, Twitter had some thoughts:
Derrick Rose got the same amount of 1st place MVP votes as Joel Embiid. Amazing.
— Moneybagg Yo(hannes) šŖš· (@AronYohannes) June 8, 2021
For a 32-year-old veteran who spent most of his time coming off the bench, Rose had a decent season, but it was a far cry from his 2010-11 MVP campaign. He put up 14.7 points with 4.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds through 25.6 minutes per game split between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.
All those figures were the second- or third-worst marks of his career.
And he didn't hold a candle to Jokic, who was good for a career-high 26.4 points with 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists as the Nuggets claimed the Western Conference's third seed.
Rose isn't the only member of the Knicks who received recognition for their season, in which they earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Tom Thibodeau was named the league's Coach of the Year on Monday, and he credited Rose with providing crucial veteran leadership en route to the Knicks' first playoff appearance since 2012-13.
Even if Thibodeau would have endorsed it, it's still a surprise Rose's name landed on that list.
Kevin Durant: Jay Williams' Story About Ripping Giannis Comparison 'a F--kin Lie'
Jun 8, 2021
Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) shoots as Milwaukee Bucks forward P.J. Tucker (17) defends during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Monday, June 7, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Kevin Durant's latest online feud is with ESPN analyst Jay Williams over comments about Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Williams said on Get Up! that Durant told him a few years ago not to ever compare him to the Milwaukee Bucks star:
āDonāt you ever compare me to Giannisā - Kevin Durant told Jay Williams put some respekā on his name.pic.twitter.com/Ed04jM0TLr
Durant took exception to Williams' entire story, calling it "a f--kin lie" and adding a message on Twitter (warning: contains strong language):
Mans will do anything to advance their careers in this media shit, wanting to be accepted by an industry that will dispose of you whenever they please. Keep me out all that corny ass talk about whos better and legacy and all that dumb ass shit. I donāt even talk like that
Durant isn't shy about calling out anyone who says anything that he doesn't like or disagrees with.
In 2019, Nick Schwartz of USA Today ran through a list of seven online feuds Durant has had with various people.
Earlier this season, Durant engaged in a feud over direct message on Twitter with Michael Rapaport that stemmed from the actor commenting about the Brooklyn Nets star's apparent lack of desire in doing a postgame interview on TNT.
After Rapaport posted some of the messages he received from Durant, which included homophobic and misogynstic language, the 11-time All-Star issued an apology for the words he used:
Kevin Durant on his social media messages that were recently made public:
"I'm sorry that people seen that language I used, that's not really what I want people to hear and see from me" pic.twitter.com/UIPRuPdH3B
The Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are playing in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Brooklyn has taken a 2-0 lead through the first two games of the series, including a 125-86 win on Monday night.
The superstar showdown between Durant and Antetokounmpo has been as lopsided as that Game 2 score. Durant is averaging 30.5 points on 55.8 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists against Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo has scored 52 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in two games, but the two-time NBA MVP is just 2-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Durant will look to lead the Nets to a 3-0 series lead over the Bucks when they play Game 3 on Thursday at Fiserv Forum at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Mike Budenholzer, Bucks Facing Franchise-Defining Pressure vs. Nets
Jun 8, 2021
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer looks on against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Saturday, June 5, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
The second-round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets was supposed to be the de facto Eastern Conference Finals. It may still be, because right now it sure looks like nobody on the planet is beating the Nets in a seven-game series.
But if it keeps going the way it did on Monday night, when the Nets blew the Bucks out to take a 2-0 series lead, the sweeping changes many thought would be coming in Milwaukee last offseason might not be able to be delayed any longer.
All the Bucks can say right now is thank goodness Giannis Antetokounmpo already signed the long-term extension that prevented him from becoming a free agent this summer. If he hadn't, that would have been looming over the Bucks' entire season, with the panic kicking into even higher gear after Monday night's disaster.
The major roster upgrade that was needed after their second-round collapse in the bubble last summer came in the form of Jrue Holiday, and he's been as good as advertised, especially on the defensive end. Mike Budenholzer, who was roundly criticized from all corners during last playoffs for never adjusting his rotationsāeven Antetokounmpo could barely conceal his annoyance during last year's series against the Miami Heatāsurvived, with the implied hope that with new supporting personnel behind the two-time MVP and All-Star teammate Khris Middleton, he'd make the necessary adjustments come next playoffs.
In exorcising last year's playoff demons in a dominant first-round sweep of the Heat, the Bucks gave reason to believe this year would be different. That they came off that series to be this uncompetitive against a Nets team, down one of their three superstars in James Harden, is raising all manner of alarms.
Some of this is on Budenholzer, who is still refusing to adjust his rotations (he talked after Game 1 about keeping his starters "fresh,"Ā as though this time of year isn't what you'd spend the whole season keeping them fresh for). But for all his talk about not needing to play Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Middleton in the high 30s because of their depth, there are many Jeff Teague and Bryn Forbes minutes happening. The loss of starting guard Donte DiVincenzo for the remainder of the playoffs hurts; the team they're playing is missing a former MVP and still running them off the floor.
All of which brings up the question of whether general manager Jon Horst will come under the same scrutiny Budenholzer undoubtedly will. Even being charitable and chalking up last November's botched signing of Bogdan Bogdanovic (making huge shots for the Hawks in the playoffs, by the way) to bad luck and miscommunication, Horst has missed on practically every role player he's signed to build out the rotation.
After Game 1, in which the Bucks were competitive in a loss, Antetokounmpo pointed out that they'd had a week off after sweeping the Heat. Coming back out after that as listless as they did on Monday doesn't give much reason for optimism that they'll be able to turn things around if the series goes longer.
No defense on the planet can fully stifle the Nets' big three, but on paper, Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Holiday are as good a trio of defenders as any team will have to throw at them. And that big three is now a big two, with Harden's hamstring injury sidelining him for all but the opening minutes of the first game. Now that they go to Milwaukee with a 2-0 lead, the Nets can comfortably hold Harden out even longer. Durant, Irving and the Nets' role players have the Bucks overmatched without him.
Going into the playoffs, the Bucks appeared to be in a better position than they were either of the last two years. Dominating the regular season in 2018-19 and 2019-20 the way they did made it easy for everyone to assume they'd be fine in the playoffs. Struggling this year to work in new personnel and navigate injuries could have seen them come out better prepared for the higher level of competition in the playoffs.Ā
Getting past Game 1's overtime thriller against Miami felt like a massive weight being lifted. They went on to dominate the rest of that series and pull off the first round's only four-game sweep. Now, they're looking a lot like the team that will be on the other end of that sort of beatdown.
Securing the long-term commitment from Antetokounmpo last fall was a massive victory for the Bucks. But they may still not have enough to truly put themselves in position to take advantage of his prime. For the second consecutive year, something's got to give.
Giannis Says He'll 'Keep Believing' Despite Bucks' 2-0 Series Deficit vs. Nets
Jun 8, 2021
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before Game 1 of the team's NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, June 5, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't throwing in the towel after his team's 125-86 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
The two-time MVP told reporters how he prefers to remain even-keeled and not overreact to good or bad performances:
I don't get too high, I don't get too low. After the Miami series, we were up 4-0, and coming to this series, I wasn't high. Now that we're down 2-0, I'm not low. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, keep trusting my work, keep trusting my teammates, keep believing in the team, keep believing in the habits we've built all year, and hopefully in Game 3 we get a win.
The Nets' position isn't all that dissimilar from the one the Bucks occupied in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.
Milwaukee beat the Toronto Raptors by 22 points in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead. The path to the NBA Finals looked clear, except the Raptors reeled off four straight wins en route to a title.
But these aren't parallel scenarios. Toronto rode Kawhi Leonard's singular brilliance, and head coach Nick Nurse devised a defensive strategy to mitigate Antetokounmpo's impact.
Antetokounmpo isn't the same kind of scorer as Leonard, who shot 37.1 percent from three-point range during the 2019 postseason. The combined presence of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irvingāand possibly James Harden if he gets back from his hamstring injuryāalso make it difficult for head coach Mike Budenholzer to zero in on stopping just one star.
Along the same lines, Budenholzer can't flip a switch and make Khris Middleton perform better. Middleton has 30 points on 13-of-33 shooting through two games, and that's simply not good enough for a player who's making $33 million.
Among Bucks problems: Bruce Brown is only starting because James Harden is hurt and right now nobody who ever watched basketball would take Khris Middleton over him.
Milwaukee has two days to regroup for Game 3, which will allow Budenholzer and his staff with some time to make whatever adjustments they can.
Antetokounmpo may not be panicking now, but the Bucks will be a five-alarm fire if they fall behind 3-0.
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Lead Nets to 39-Point Game 2 Blowout Win vs. Bucks
Jun 8, 2021
Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) tries to block Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) as Durant shoots during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Monday, June 7, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Not even an injury to James Harden has stopped the Brooklyn Nets at this point.
Brooklyn defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 125-86 in Monday's Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals at Barclays Center. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving led the way in Harden's absence for the victors, who are now up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and two wins away from their first trip to the East finals since 2003.
A double-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn't enough for the Bucks, who now must win four of five against a daunting opponent to advance.
Durant Puts on a Show As Nets Cruise Without Harden
It is a testament to the firepower in Brooklyn that the Nets can lose a player of Harden's caliber to a hamstring injury and still have two of the best players in the league to lead the way.
Lead they did right out of the gates, as Durant poured in 21 points in the first half alone with a combination of three-point shots, lightning-quick releases from midrange and attacks on the basket. Irving couldn't match his teammate's scoring, but he did the facilitating as the primary ball-handler without Harden on the floor.
Still, Brooklyn's commanding 24-point halftime lead and unquestioned control of the game wasn't just the result of two players.
The supporting cast shone through as well, with Blake Griffin turning back the clock with multiple dunks, one of which came over Antetokounmpo, and Joe Harris hitting from deep. Bruce Brown also did a little bit of everything in a starting role and had double-digit points by halftime, and even Landry Shamet contributed with his shooting.
Still, it all came down to KD putting on a show.
The 11-time All-Star went right at every defender the Bucks threw his way, including Antetokounmpo. He was ruthlessly efficient as a scorer and had a sense of the moment to take over whenever the visitors had even a sniff of momentum.
If he remains this dialed-in throughout the playoffs, it is difficult to see the Nets falling short of a championship.
Giannis Struggles in Blowout Loss
The only way the Bucks are going to beat the Nets in this series is their stars at least somewhat keeping pace with all the notable names on the other side.
And that was far from the case Monday.
Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton combined to shoot 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) in the first half, as Brooklyn collapsed the paint to cut off the former's driving lanes and swarmed to the latter's outside shot.
Still, the Nets finished a lowly 22nd in the league in defensive rating during the regular season, per NBA.com. A two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo should frankly find ways to dominate for extended stretches against that unit.
To Middleton's credit, he rediscovered his scoring touch for a time after missing his first eight shots from the field to keep Milwaukee from falling entirely out of striking distance early in the second half. Jrue Holiday also did what he could in a secondary role while working his way into space, but it was an uphill battle throughout the game.
Even with that, the Bucks were entirely outmatched with Antetokounmpo struggling from beyond the arc and on the free-throw line. The offense was far too stagnant when the game was still hanging in the balance largely because he was not his typically unstoppable self.
Antetokounmpo has to play like an MVP for the Bucks to win, and he fell far short in Game 2.
What's Next?
The series shifts to Milwaukee for Thursday's Game 3.
With James Harden ruled out for Game 2 between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, there are five superstars to choose from for Monday's FanDuel main slate contest...
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Nets Beat Giannis, Bucks in Game 1 Despite Harden Injury
Jun 6, 2021
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 5: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks during Round 2, Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on June 5, 2021 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
In the most-anticipated playoff series of the season, the Brooklyn Nets topped the Milwaukee Bucks 115-107in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday.
After disposing of the Boston Celtics in five games in the first round, the Nets looked ready for a much more difficult opponent in Round 2.
Milwaukee looked to have a lot of momentum coming off a four-game sweep of the Miami Heat in which it had a plus-20 scoring average in the series.
Things didn't start well for the Nets when James Harden left in the first minute of the game. He didn't return with a hamstring injury.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving picked up the slack without the third member of their main trio available. They combined for 54 points on 23-of-51 shooting. Durant and Blake Griffin both had double-doubles.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had his best game of the playoffs with 34 points and 11 rebounds, but the rest of the Bucks struggled to find a rhythm on offense. Khris Middleton really disappointed with 13 points on 6-of-23 shooting.
Harden's Injury Doesn't Slow Down Nets' Potent Offense
One of the major talking points for the Nets coming into the playoffs was how little time their big three had been able to play together.
Harden, Irving and Durant shared the court only eight times during the regular season. They looked fantastic during the opening round against the Celtics, averaging 85.2 points per game in the five-game series.
A hamstring injury for Harden is going to be particularly concerning because he dealt with the same issue during the regular season. The nine-time All-Star missed 20 of 21 games from April 1-May 11 with a strained right hamstring.
Despite not having Harden available for essentially the entire game, Brooklyn's offense didn't seem to slow down. It scored at least 30 points in each of the first two quarters.
One reason the Nets remained so successful without Harden was the effort of their role players.
Griffin, in particular, continues to look like one of the best in-season signings for any team. He had his highest-scoring game of the playoffs thanks to three three-pointers and had a season-high 14 rebounds.
Durant was held in check in the first half matched up with P.J. Tucker. He had 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting and missed both of his three-point attempts.
The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor highlighted one defensive sequence in the first quarter where Durant was disrupting Milwaukee's attempts at driving to the basket.
Irving was the engine of Brooklyn's success in the first two quarters. The 29-year-old had 20 points and was 9-of-16 from the floor to give the Nets a 63-61 lead at the intermission.
The third quarter turned out to be the difference in the game. The Nets outscored the Bucks 35-23 to open up a 14 point lead.
Durant scored 13 points and made five of his eight attempts from the field.
End of 3rd QTR: Nets 98, Bucks 84 Kyrie Irving (25 PTS), Kevin Durant (25 PTS), Blake Griffin (15 PTS) & the Nets are showing out when it matters. Brooklyn is shooting 52% from the field and 39% from three. Theyāre holding Milwaukee to 44% shooting and 17% shooting from three.
This was reminiscent of what the Warriors teams that had Durant were capable of doing at their peak.
Opponents could keep the game close for a short period of time, but eventually the offensive firepower would become too great for them to overcome.
The Nets are the most dangerous team in the NBA because they don't have to play at their best to win games. If Durant and Irving are playing well, this series could be over sooner than expected, regardless of when Harden might return.
Sloppy Shooting Leaves Bucks Searching for Answers
All of the understandable hype around Brooklyn's offense seemed to ignore the fact that it was the Bucks who led the NBA in scoring during the regular season (120.1 points per game).
Milwaukee also ranked third in field-goal percentage and fifth in three-point percentage.
If the Bucks are going to get past the Nets, it would stand to reason their offense would rise to the occasion against a defense that can be prone to lackluster efforts.
Unfortunately, three-point shooting was missing for Milwaukee. It finished 6-of-30 from behind the arc. This has been an ongoing problem in the playoffs. It only made 32.7 percent of its attempts from three against Miami.
It wasn't totally clear how the Nets would handle the size that Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer could put on the floor against them.
It turns out, the response by Brooklyn was essentially to disrupt Milwaukee's guards. Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez were getting buckets by attacking the rim.
Middleton's performance was particularly disappointing coming off an excellent series against Miami. He averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 40.7 percent from three in the first round.
I mean, also, Milwaukee is basically going to lose every game where Blake Griffin outplays Khris Middleton. Just kinda is what it is on that.
Scoring trends didn't favor the Bucks in this game. They stormed out of the gate with a 32-point first quarter, but saw their scoring decrease in each of the next two quarters (29 in the second, 23 in the third).
On the other hand, the Nets scoring increased from 30 in the first to 33 in the second and 35 in the third. Joe Harris almost made as many threes on his own (five) as the entire Bucks team (six).
This is just one loss and it's widely expected that this will be a long series, but Milwaukee has a lot of things to fix from Game 1 if it wants to pose a real threat to the Nets.
What's Next?
The Bucks and Nets will play Game 2 at Barclays Center on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The three regular-season meetings between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks suggest that their Eastern Conference semifinal series will have plenty of points...
The Brooklyn Nets capped off a gentlemanās sweep of the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, winning the fifth and deciding game 123-109...
Giannis on Bucks Sweeping Heat: 'We Didn't Want to Play with Our Food'
May 29, 2021
MIAMI, FL - MAY 29: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks the ball against Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during Round One Game Four of the Eastern Conference Playoffs on May 29, 2021 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
If it looked like the Milwaukee Bucks were taking their first-round series against the Miami Heat rather personally, Giannis Antetokounmpo made it clear that was indeed the case after finishing off a four-game sweep Saturday.
"There's a saying, don't play with your food," Antetokounmpo told the TNT broadcast. "We didn't want to play with our food."
"There's a saying, don't play with your food. We didn't want to play with our food."
After the Heat defeated Milwaukee 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last summer, the Bucks were ready to return the favor, eliminating the Heat in front of their home fans Saturday.
Antetokounmpo led the way once again with his first career triple-double in the postseason, posting 20 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds in the series' clincher.
But it wasn't just Antetokounmpo's efforts that doomed the Heatāit was an entire team effort from Milwaukee. Consider guard Bryn Forbes notched more points (60) coming off the bench than Miami star Jimmy Butler poured in as a starter in all four games (58).
Saturday's win showed just how badly the Bucks wanted to close out the Heat and how much the team was willing to share the ball to make it happen. Every Bucks starter except Pat Connaughton (two points) scored at least 11 points in Game 4. That included a 22-point outing from Forbes, who went 7-of-14 from three-point range.
That gave way to a 120-103 blowout win to send Miami back to the drawing board for the 2021-22 season.
As Antetokounmpo and the Bucks prepare to face the winner of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, the Greek Freak made clear that while he may have feasted on Miami, he's still hungry for more.
"It's a great moment for us, winning 4-0, and beating the team that beat us last year," Antetokounmpo said. "But at the end of the day, we have a long way to go."
