DNHQ Rooting Guide: (3) Milwaukee vs. (6) Indiana; plus open thread

So many DNHQ unrequited loves

See the master index at Dub Nation HQ Rooting Guide For Other Teams.

(3) Milwaukee vs. (6) Indiana

Milwaukee Bucks

Ex-Warriors

• None, I think?

Friends

• Giannis Antetokounmpo. He and Stephen Curry regularly pick each other first in All-Star games. Make googly eyes and godly plays together.

From Giannis’s Honorary Warrior For Life election (he fell short):

Dub Nation has been pining for this MVP to bolt Milwaukee and join the Warriors. We also have a soft spot for him for picking Stephen Curry first when he was All-Star captain, which Steph rewarded with this absurd alley-oop. 

Giannis has also been openly humble about his MVP case, claiming not to care about it, in stark contrast to certain other bearded players who are obsessed with MVP. In fact, Giannis has been taking jabs at Harden and Harden has been taking bigger jabs back. Here’s the latest round from today:

Alykhan Bijani @Rockets_Insider

James Harden addresses the comments Giannis made during the All-Star draft about assists: "I average more assists him than him, I think....I don't see what the joke is." Later: "But I wish I could just run and be 7 feet and just dunk." youtube.com/watch?v=tUCf4p…

So the poll results were very friendly to the reigning MVP.

Eric Apricot @EricApricot

Poll. Dub Nation, imagine you see Giannis Antetokounmpo in a game with no practical implications for the Warriors. (So not against GSW, ignore draft picks, playoff seeding, etc.) Do you want him to do well or poorly?

Well 73.4% / Poor 4.6% / Don’t care either way 20.2% / Don’t know who they are 1.7%.

Dub Nation has lots of affection for the Greek Freak, but he falls juuuust short of the 75% mark. He is hereby awarded Honorary Warrior.

• Damian Lillard is popular in Dub Nation, even getting elected last year as a Honorary Warrior For Life. He’s been a rival to Steph for king long-distance shooter and he gets used as a prop to diminish Steph, but ultimately, as I wrote:

Dame was born in Oakland, is proud to represent it, and he returns often for charity functions. His amazing peak performances and Oakland connections gather admiration, and he was one of the pioneers with Stephen Curry of the long-range three-pointer.

Conveniently, his Blazers have gone 0-3 against the Dubs, losing in 2016, 2017 and 2019 so few bitter feelings have developed from Dub Nation, and Lillard has refrained from trash-talking the Warriors in the press despite it all. 

In fact, he has led stunning upset playoff victories over the most annoying Warriors rivals: James Harden’s Houston Rockets (2014), Chris Paul’s and Blake Griffin’s LA Clippers (2016) and Russell Westbrook’s OKC Thunder (2019).

• He’s irritated Dub Nation since then, most recently saying Steph wasn’t an MVP candidate because he himself had been dismissed, and then early in the season, he said Steph was getting harder looks because his team was injured and young. Which was kind of obvious, but in those early days of the season, there was a (idiotic) prevalent storyline that Steph Curry had been old and decrepit for years and only KD kept him relevant, so Dub Nation did not listen to that with friendly ears.

• The whole summer trade to MIL was messy. Lillard had played the loyal soldier in POR until he asked for a trade. But not only that, but he tried to force a trade to Miami (which to be honest would have been a great destination). That led to POR spitefully and optimally holding out and finally getting some good returns while also putting Dame with a contender.

Unrequited Loves

• Brook Lopez has been a longtime target of Dub Nation, the ultimate stretch 5.

Warriors Villains

• Patrick Beverley. (Villain and Friend) Brash, chirpy, hard-nosed defender who has had lots of moments on-court mocking the Warriors and, well, everyone else. He irritated the Warriors in the playoffs both as a Rocket (through 2017) and Clipper. Even villains can have a soft side, as he is also a good friend of Stephen Curry. He gained credibility in Dub Nation through his rivalry with Chris Paul. Recently he talked about going to sleep early to guard Steph Curry and eating a nice steak dinner before guarding CP3.

Petty Rivalries

• Jae Crowder was the Agitator for PHX and has snipped at GSW for years, carping about KD and more recently trash talking Draymond.

Warriors on NBCS @NBCSWarriors

A lot was said between Draymond and Jae Crowder in the final moments of tonight's game

Team Grudges

• Not sure who hates the Bucks, as they didn’t win a playoff series from 2002 to 2018, disappointed in two straight playoffs, finally broke through, taking out the damned annoying Chris Paul Suns, and then fought valiantly despite injuries in the next couple of playoffs.

---

Indiana Pacers

Ex-Warriors

• None.

Friends

• None.

Unrequited Love

• Tyrese Haliburton is famously Dub Nation HQ's choice in the 2020 Draft. No really, this isn’t some 20-20-hindsight yapping, we did a whole pre-draft tournament and the group vote was for Haliburton.
  
  I wrote: Tyrese Haliburton just seems like the most Warriors player in the draft, with his high character, shooting, defensive effort and smart playmaking, and his weakness of poor shot creation seems less urgent in Kerr’s motion O and with Steph Curry passing to you. This season revealed that without Steph and Klay Thompson, the Warriors were the worst shooting team in the league, so Dub Nation is pining for players who can hit an open shot.
  
  I had Haliburton as my 1A with Okongwu, but I also wrote: Haliburton over Edwards. Edwards could be the next Oladipo, but Oladipo look a long time to become Dipo and Steph isn’t getting younger. The Haliburton dream is that his flaws (not explosive creator) aren’t relevant in Kerrball.
  
  Before we get too high on ourselves, I note that Haliburton beat Wiseman in our semifinals by 1 vote.

• Myles Turner is on the all-time list of Dub Nation Unrequited Love. He’s been mock traded endlessly as a tough shot blocking big who can hit a three. It’s part of the DNA of Dub Nation to be endlessly pining for a great big man and being endlessly disappointed.

• Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, Ben Sheppard and Andrew Nembhard are all sleeper draft crushes at DNHQ.

• Oscar Tshiebwe is the kind of bruising big guy that DNHQ always wants as a two-way.

• Pascal Siakam was a target of GSW trade interest at the 2024 Trade Deadline.

Warriors Villains

• None

Petty Rivalries

• Pacers have been thoroughly off the GSW radar for a while now except maybe when Monta Ellis landed there, except to serve as foils for highlights.

Team Grudges

• There was a hint of friction after the 2021 Draft when Indiana sources claimed that GSW was crushed when IND drafted Chris Duarte one spot ahead of GSW’s pick (which ended up being Moses Moody), and that GSW was phoning IND with tears in their eyes to trade for CD. If this is the best I can dredge up, it’s been a pretty drama-free relationship.