As the young Milwaukee Bucks keep on making waves in the league, more and more teams are coming out and saying that they do not like like how the Bucks handle themselves. Why can’t the Bucks just get along with other teams?
One can say that the hate on the Milwaukee Bucks started with only four characters. Those characters would be “2”, “4”, “-“, and “1”.
When the undefeated Golden State Warriors came in to Milwaukee in 2015, they saw t-shirts that simply read “24-1”. After the game was over, the Warriors’ winning streak was snapped and into the week that followed, the players on the Warriors complained to the media.
Guard Klay Thompson said that “we felt that they could have won with a little more class.” Even Stephen Curry chimed in and said “Oh, it was a nice celebration. We do remember that stuff.” The first rivalry for these young Milwaukee Bucks was born.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
When the Bucks played in Oakland a week later, there were even some Warriors fans who donned “10-18” shirts. The Golden State Warriors were the only notable team that came out with negative comments against the Bucks during the 2015-16 season, however, more teams have followed suit in the 2016-17 season.
Not even half way through the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have a signature win on their résumé. On November 29, the Bucks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-101. After that game, there was not much fanfare. The fanfare started after a pair of Cavalier wins against the Bucks on December 20 and 21.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin mentioned in a recent article that “ James was less than impressed with how Parker and Antetokounmpo clearly played at a higher level against the Cavs than they normally do. That made James wonder why Parker and Antetokounmpo don’t make that level of play their standard and become true professionals.”
Kyrie Irving also took offense to the way the Bucks played against them, and even hinted at a potential playoff sweep:
“It would be great to go four games against them. I’m fired up to go against them every time now, for real. Ever since they kicked our ass in Milwaukee, it’s been personal, and it’s going to continue to be personal.”
The way that James and Irving described the Bucks is indicative of the growing animosity between the two teams. That’s now two rivals for the Bucks, and they just so happen to be the two best teams in the NBA.
The team who has most recently voiced adverse comments about the Bucks this season (so far) are the Washington Wizards. The Bucks played a home and home matchup against the Wizards on December 23 and 26. The first game is still fresh for Bucks fans because Giannis Antetokounmpo had a career high 39 points in a 27-point victory for the Bucks. It was after the second game, a five-point loss, when Wizards players had comments about their matchups with the Bucks though.
John Wall had some choice words, saying “ up 20, 30 points and you keep one of your star players in to try to get his numbers, we kinda didn’t like that…We kinda took that personal.”
Referring to the first game, Wall was obviously irritated with the decision to let Giannis have a career night. While it may seem bad for Wall, it may not be bad to let your small-market superstar have a huge game at home in front of a packed house.
Teams around the NBA are starting to call out the Milwaukee Bucks, but for what?
The Warriors thought that there was too much celebration. The Cavaliers thought that the Bucks only played hard against them because they’re the reigning champs. The Wizards thought the reason they got blown out was because of a stat-stuffing mission.
Whether this kind of headline-making is ultimately good or bad for the Bucks, putting a finger on the reason why is the most interesting part of the debate.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Ball Movement Is The Key To Success
Could it be that opponents are trying to leave a mark on a talented young team that they see as a rival in the longer term? It’s certainly in play, and from a motivational point of view, that’s how the young Bucks should take these comments. The league’s best players and teams care about the Bucks now? That sounds like a compliment.