Former Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving thinks that if it weren't for an unfortunate injury to the eight-time all-star, the Nets would have won the NBA Finals during the 2021 playoffs.
Iriving responded to a Nets fan's post about the recent injury to Giannis Antetokounmpo that has left the Milwaukee Bucks, the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, one loss away from elimination.
“One of the most disappointing and painful moments of [my] career,” Irving said. “If I don’t get hurt that series, every single one of us on that Brooklyn team/bandwagon would be Champions. No f***ing doubt about it.
Irving sprained his ankle in the Nets' second-round series against the Bucks. The injury occurred in a Game 4 loss for the Nets, who then lost the final two games of the series after winning Game 5 without Irving.
Irving was a big contributor to Brooklyn's 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4. He averaged 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in the first three games. He also dropped 24.8 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting in a first-round series win against the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks would go on to defeat the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns each in six games to win the championship in 2021. The Nets were then swept by the Celtics in the first round of 2022, the last playoff games Irving played in a Brooklyn uniform.
Kyrie Irving's what-if statement probably does ring true for a lot of Nets fans. We'll never know if the Nets win a championship if he is healthy, but they certainly would have had a better chance.
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