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“I’ll Save My Money. I’ve Got to Pay for Diapers”- Giannis Antetokounmpo Jokes About Draymond Green’s Hefty Fine After Close Victory In Bucks vs Celtics

Published 05/08/2022, 8:00 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Throughout the series, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have exchanged blows. The Bucks took home Game 1, but the Celtics came back to win Game 2. The Bucks now hold the advantage in the series after winning Game 3 in a frantic finish in Milwaukee.

The defending champions were able to put on a show for the home crowd owing to 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists by Giannis Antetokounmpo. He proved pivotal in the clutch, scoring a go-ahead basket with less than a minute left in the game. 

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What drew headlines, though, was the game’s controversial officiating. Many questions and eyebrows were raised, particularly from the Celtics’ camp. The Greek Freak’s interactions with the media are among the most comical. Whether it’s his jokes or humorous responses, the athlete is as entertaining off the court as he is on. 

With the Celtics’ camp raising multiple complaints about the officiating tonight, Giannis was questioned about his opinion on the issue. However, the former MVP did not want to get into any trouble and brilliantly dodged the question. 

Giannis said, “How much does it cost if I say something, a comment about the refs? Is it $20,000? It’s a lot of money. So, I should not do it. I’ll save my money. I’ve got to pay for diapers.” 

Draymond Green was fined $25,000 for flipping off Memphis fans. Because he earns $25 million a year, the Warriors forward claims he can afford a fine for flipping off the fans. Interestingly, Giannis makes roughly $40 million per year yet prioritizes his parental duties before commenting on the officiating and paying the fine.

Fair to say, Giannis Antetokounmpo responded like an MVP, and more importantly, a wonderful father. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been in such positive spirits if the Bucks had lost or would lose in the future and the officiating continued to rub him the wrong way. But, being the wonderful guy and father that he is, it is assumed that he will continue to bite his tongue. 

Unlike Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Celtics were frustrated by the officiating

While Giannis ducked the questions about the officiating in the Bucks-Celtics match, Ime Udoka wanted all the smoke. During his post-game press conference, the Celtics coach was critical of the officials.

The Celtics coach was certain that the officials blew a critical call on Marcus Smart. The disputed call occurred late in the game when the Celtics wing was fouled by Bucks guard Jrue Holiday. Smart looked to be preparing to take a three-point shot that, if successful, would have leveled the score at 103 with less than 10 seconds left in regulation.

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The officials, though, called a foul on the floor, much to the amazement of the Celtics’ corner. With the Celtics down 103-100 and in bonus, they were given two free throws instead of three that would’ve tied the game. 

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During the postgame press conference, Udoka was questioned about the call and said he believed the officials messed it up. “It was a foul. It was a foul,” Udoka said. “He caught the ball, he was trying to enter a shot with both feet set. You can’t say that’s a sweep. Poor call, poor no-call … I saw it in person, but also on the film that I just went and looked at, it’s a shot, he was curling into a shot and he was getting fouled on the way up. Bad missed call.”

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The Celtics coach was also questioned about several other missed calls, notably ones involving Giannis Antetokounmpo in the post. “If they don’t fall down, we’re not going to call it,” Udoka claimed that the officials told him. “I guess they want guys to flop more” he added.

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It’s logical to assume that Udoka will be penalized for his post-game comments. Perhaps, like Giannis, the Celtics coach doesn’t care about diapers. 

The Celtics and Bucks will square off again on Monday night, with the Celtics aiming to even the series. 

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Written by:

Ritvik Malhotra

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Ritvik is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Ritvik has finally got his foot in the door as a professional sports writer. He previously interned at another media house where he authored over 150 soccer articles, but he is now writing about his primary obsession, basketball.
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