Jeff Teague , in his 12-year NBA career, finally secured an NBA championship during his final season with the Milwaukee Bucks . However, that journey was far from straightforward.
During his appearance on The Draymond Green Show, the 6’3” point guard candidly recounted an incident where, after losing the first two games against the Brooklyn Nets in their second-round series, he bluntly informed Coach Mike Budenholzer that the team’s championship aspirations were unrealistic, despite the former’s optimism.
"We start playing KD, Kyrie… James Harden, in the first game we get beat up by 40, I go his office, 'Coach I don’t think we about to win this championship.' He felt like he was about to get fired," Teague said . "He felt like his run was over in Milwaukee. In the second game, we get blasted by 55. It wasn't even close. It was like we don't even stand a chance."
Teague on when the momentum changed in the Bucks’ favor
After falling 0-2, the series took an unexpected turn in Bucks’ favor when Kyrie Irving sustained an ankle injury in Game 4. After teetering past Brooklyn in Game 3, 86-83, the Bucks knew just how difficult it was for them to beat Kyrie and Kevin Durant’s tandem. However, with Kai playing only 17 minutes in Game 4, Teague claimed that the shift in the momentum was so apparent that the Bucks realized they only needed to get this opponent in order to win a championship.
"Kyrie rolls his ankle in the third game, and you can see the light switchin’," Teague added. "'Oh we can beat them now.' Giannis stepped up. Khris, Jrue - they all started playing phenomenal. We knew if we get past them, we was gonna win a championship."
Furthermore, Teague acknowledged that fortune favored the Bucks, with Irving absent for the final three games of the series and KD’s potentially game-winning shot in Game 7 being ruled a two-pointer due to his foot being on the three-point line.
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Bucks were unstoppable after getting past the Nets
The Bucks’ newfound confidence was reflected in their offensive performance, with their scoring average increasing from 101 points per game against the Nets to 113 and 111 points in the subsequent two series, serving as a testament to their elevated play and championship mentality.
Safe to say, while Teague may not have played a prominent role in either of the last two playoff series, averaging merely 5.4 minutes in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks and 9.3 minutes per game in the championship round, the heroics of Milwaukee’s Big 3 helped him to finish his NBA career on a high note.
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