The Brooklyn Nets entered the Conference Semifinals as the heavy favorites to win the championship this year. After Game 4, it seemed like the Milwaukee Bucks were going to rob them of that opportunity, but Game 5 brought the original narrative back. The Nets are leading 3-2, thanks to Kevin Durant’s prime performance. They are crushing the Bucks’ chances of ending their 50-year streak of not winning a title.
The last time we saw the Milwaukee Bucks holding a championship trophy was back in 1971. When James Harden was benched because of his hamstring injury along with Kyrie Irving, who was out because of his ankle, the Bucks’ chances of defeating the Nets seemed better.
However, Kevin Durant wasn’t having it. The lone hero showed that he didn’t need Irving and Harden to take this team deeper into the postseason thanks to his 49 points in Game 5.
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In fact, he seems like he is carrying Harden’s much-deserved lifelong dream of taking home the championship on his back. Looks like Harden has nothing to worry about. And when the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes a prediction about a team, how can it not hold true?
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Are the Milwaukee Bucks a lost cause?
In an interview, Kareem was asked whether the current Bucks team has it in them to win a title or not. The Lakers‘ legend was clear in his response and blatantly said, “No, I don’t.”
“KD would kill those guys,” he explained. “I’m serious. He’d score and then he finds the open guy. He could do that by himself. They’ve got to do a better job. The whole team has to play differently so that KD, one guy just can’t dominate like that.”
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Me: "Can the Bucks win the title?"
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: "No. No I don't. KD would kill those guys." pic.twitter.com/XFGYs9lt69— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 16, 2021
Having won six championships himself, Kareem is somewhat of an expert on championship potential. It is obviously easier said than done, but if anybody could have contained KD in the Bucks, the situation would have been very different.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo was brutally criticized for not defending KD in the last game as he should have. And if the Bucks continue to make these mistakes after how far they’ve come, 1974 will continue to be the last time they saw the door for the NBA Finals.
READ MORE: CJ McCollum Calls Out Giannis Antetokounmpo For Not Defending Kevin Durant in Game 5 Loss