Bucks Zone

Trae Young dismisses Bucks title, believes 2021 would be for Hawks if it wasn't for his injury

Trae believes the Hawks are on their way to glory until his Game 3 injury happened in the ECF.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

For Trae Young, the 2020-21 NBA championship wouldn't land in the possession of the Milwaukee Bucks if it wasn't for the critical injury he sustained against them in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Young vocally expressed his belief that he and the Atlanta Hawks would've won it all until he sustained a bone bruise in his right foot in Game 3, which limited the rest of his play against the Bucks.

"I ain't going to lie, we definitely would have won our first 'chip," said Young. "I don't even want to talk about it because it's so hard to return to that moment. You just fight that feeling that you had your chance. ... Getting hurt was not the best feeling because I definitely felt like we had a chance, and we were on a run, and we were feeling good."

Background of the 2021 ECF's later portion

Young injured his foot at the pivotal time when both teams went toe-to-toe, and his brilliance was in full sight. But as Giannis Antetokounmpo nastily injured his right knee in Game 4, it put the Bucks and the Hawks at an equal field where both of their main men are out.

In Game 5, with the series knotted at 2-2, the Bucks prevailed convincingly via a collective attack. And in Game 6, they replicated it again to finally reach the NBA Finals amid Trae's return and Giannis' inactivity.

The Bucks won the championship — their second in franchise history — by beating the Phoenix Suns in six grueling games.

Can't live in the past

Trae's point makes sense, considering that they gave the Bucks a hell of a fight, and he was on a sizzling roll before his injury. But in the end, availability is the best ability.

The history of the NBA is glittered by teams succumbing because of fatal injuries and coming up short to win the title. As much as Trae's injury has been acknowledged, the majority's perception still stands strong about the Bucks winning the East amid Giannis' absence.

Atlanta's chances to win are also yet to be debated by hypothetically facing a superior Phoenix Suns team in the NBA Finals. At the end of the day, Milwaukee won their chip fair and square, led by Giannis' greatness.

Kyrie Irving believes the 2021 Brooklyn Nets would have been NBA champions had Giannis Antetokounmpo not stepped on his foot

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.