Trae Young was the talk of NBA Twitter on Wednesday night, as the Hawks star exploded for a playoff career-high 48 points in Atlanta's 116-113 win over Milwaukee. But did Young enjoy his impressive Eastern Conference finals performance just a little too much?
No, he did not because sports are supposed to be fun, and a two-time NBA MVP seems to agree with that idea.
MORE: Three ways Young torched Bucks' drop-heavy defense
During the third quarter of Game 1, Young left Bucks guard Jrue Holiday in the dust with a vicious left-to-right crossover, putting him in position to drain a wide open 3-pointer. Before he released the ball, though, Young decided to throw in a little shimmy.
"I had a lot of time," Young said after the game. "I was kind of tired, a little bit. So I got a little second to get a deep breath and knock it down."
😱 OH MY TRAE FROM DOWNTOWN! HE'S GOT 37! 😱#NBAPlayoffs on TNT pic.twitter.com/MJfm8tLlHy
— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2021
At the next timeout break following Young's shot, Giannis Antetokounmpo could be seen replicating Young's shimmy motion in front of his Bucks teammates, perhaps looking to inspire better defensive effort.
Giannis told his teammates about the Trae Young shimmy 🗣 pic.twitter.com/jpFMPewxE1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 24, 2021
When asked during his postgame media availability whether he took the shimmy personally, Antetokounmpo, who totaled 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the loss, quickly brushed it off and (hopefully) prevented a silly cycle of hot takes.
"He's just having fun. He's enjoying the game," Antetokounmpo said. "Obviously I wouldn't want him to make the shot, but he's having fun. He's enjoying the game. We're going to do the same as a team. We're going to have fun. We're going to enjoy the game. There's going to be times that Bryn [Forbes] or Jrue might shimmy or whatever the case might be. I might mean mug.
"It's just part of the game. It's nothing. You can't take that personally."
Thank you, Giannis. Let's all just appreciate the entertainment that Young provides and get ready for Game 2.
