Giannis Antetokounmpo was not pleased with Trae Young's pre-shot shimmy
Trae Young is here for the villain role.
After getting spit on at Madison Square Garden and inspiring "F*** Trae Young" chants in Philadelphia, the Atlanta Hawks star did not hesitate to antagonize the Milwaukee Bucks and their fans in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday.
In the midst of a second-half Hawks surge, Young shed his defender, Jrue Holiday, and found himself wide open with time to square up for a 3-point shot. And square up he did, with a shimmy — before he launched the shot.
It's a dangerous move that backfires if he doesn't connect. But the ball found the bottom of the net to give Atlanta an 86-78 lead over the heavily favored Bucks.
TRAE SHIMMIED ON EM BEFORE HITTING THE 3 🤣
(via @cjzero)pic.twitter.com/vQyCgf88uR— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) June 24, 2021
It's a move not even Stephen Curry dares use. Curry loves to shimmy, of course. But he waits for the ball to drop before stunting on his opponents.
Young's shimmy arrived amid a run that included multiple alley-oops, like this one to John Collins that shifted the momentum of the game well in Atlanta's favor.
TRAE OFF THE GLASS LOB TO COLLINS 😱#ECFonTNT pic.twitter.com/Xf4vKDZkg0
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 24, 2021
Giannis took notice, but Trae got last laugh
And once Young shimmied, Giannis Antetokounmpo had seen enough. The Bucks star led the team huddle during the next timeout. He was visibly upset with Young's antics — and likely his game.
Giannis told his teammates about the Trae Young shimmy 🗣 pic.twitter.com/jpFMPewxE1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 24, 2021
The Bucks rallied to take the lead after the timeout. But Young's Hawks got the last laugh, securing a 116-113 upset to take a 1-0 lead in the conference finals. Young led the charge with another massive playoff performance, tallying 48 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.
And just like in New York and Philadelphia, he continued to make new friends.
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