Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was no fan of the referees after their 103-101 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 on Saturday. However, some people certainly were not fans of the way he played the game either.
It’s not entirely clear why Giannis was so upset about the calls in the game. While the Bucks did receive more fouls than the Celtics, Boston forward Grant Williams got into foul trouble which cleared up a lot of room for Antetokounmpo to score and keep the Bucks in the game.
After the game, he debated whether or not to publicly criticize the refs, knowing that he would receive a fine for it. However, he chose to hold back.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Michael Wilbon tweeted about how Giannis was clearly getting a pass from refs when he should have been getting called for fouls when he would “bowl people over.”
Wilbon’s comments were met with plenty of derision on Twitter, especially from those who noted that the style of play he was criticizing was exactly what he tends to appreciate when talking about the NBA of the 1980s and 1990s.
Simply astounding that you hit publish on this https://t.co/8cB8LdPfg3
— Bart Winkler (@BartWinklerShow) May 7, 2022
To be fair, not everyone disagreed with Wilbon’s sentiments.
Star players getting a loose whistle from NBA refs is nothing new. But for many, they still don’t see what the issue is either.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.