Spencer Dinwiddie and the Brooklyn Nets don’t want to see Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first round of the playoffs. Can you blame them?
The Brooklyn Nets are in a battle with the Orlando Magic for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference. The loser of this tussle will almost certainly draw Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. Spencer Dinwiddie wants no part of that matchup.
“I don’t think anybody want to play Giannis in the first round. Don’t put me on Giannis. I can’t guard him,” Dinwiddie said after Brooklyn’s 133-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.
Inevitably, some will criticize Dinwiddie for admitting he doesn’t want to play the Bucks, but it’s impossible to blame him for feeling this way. In their first meeting this season, Milwaukee blew out Brooklyn by 20.
Last season, the Nets beat the Bucks towards the very end of the season, but that was without Antetokounmpo. In the other three games, the MVP dominated Brooklyn, averaging just under 30 points per game.
Although the Nets have underachieved to this point, they have a much better chance at knocking off one of the Eastern Conference teams jockeying for the two-seed. The Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, and Philadelphia 76ers have all been more consistent than Brooklyn, but the opportunity for a first-round upset is a definite possibility.
Dinwiddie and the rest of his Brooklyn mates are looking to improve their chances of avoiding Milwaukee on Saturday. They travel to D.C. for a clash with the Washington Wizards (8 p.m. ET).
