Bucks will receive championship rings before showdown against Nets: ‘I can’t wait to see it’

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday can’t wait to see his championship ring.

The Bucks won Game 6 of the NBA Finals to claim the title last season. On Tuesday, they’ll raise a banner and receive their rings before taking on the Brooklyn Nets to begin the regular season.

“We’re just the type of team that stays competitive, no matter the situation,” Holiday said. “I’m personally excited to see this ring, but we also know the situation at hand.”

On their way to clinching the title last season, the Bucks beat the Nets in the playoffs, but they’re not taking another victory for granted. Lots of players thought Brooklyn was the toughest team Milwaukee faced last postseason, Holiday said, and the Nets are considered favorites to win the championship this year.

It’ll be an exciting night, said Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. But he agreed that the celebration won’t last very long.

“Usually it’s very sobering to play another team and a good team. All that emotion, you’ve got to put away and get ready to play,” he said.

Fans are encouraged to arrive at Fiserv Forum early on Tuesday, with the pregame ceremony beginning at 5:45 p.m. Recently retired play-by-play announcer Jim Paschke will emcee the event. The Bucks will also host an outdoor watch party, much as they did during last year’s playoff run.

Lots of attention will be on a player who isn’t there Tuesday

Brooklyn’s roster features superstar Kevin Durant, who was mostly defended by P.J. Tucker when the teams met last postseason. With Tucker having moved on from Milwaukee, Holiday will likely guard Durant for a significant portion of Tuesday’s game.

“It’s a challenge, man, and it’s fun,” Holiday said. “He’s one of the best players in the world, so it’s just something you kind of have to key in on and lock in on. Him and James (Harden) being back and healthy, it’s going to be fun.”

But a lot of the focus is likely to fall on another Nets player who won’t be on the court.

More than 95 percent of NBA players are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the league. That doesn’t include Nets point guard Kyrie Irving. Due to vaccine regulations in Brooklyn, Irving isn’t playing or practicing with the team.

“At the end of the day, if you’re competitive, you want all the best players to be healthy and playing and participating. It’s good for our fans, it’s good for our sport,” Budenholzer said. “You want to play the best, and in our case, hopefully, beat the best. And anytime those guys are missing, whether it’s injury, or he’s not vaccinated in this case, it’s a little bit of a knock, or it’s not the most ideal for our league.”

It’s not a political decision, and Irving doesn’t plan to retire from basketball, he said last week on Instagram.

“I can understand that he wants to do what feels good to him, but what feels good to him can endanger other people: his teammates, their families and the people that work in the Nets organization,” Bucks legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told CNN. “If he’s going to be around them unvaccinated, he’s a risk, so at that point where he’s exposing his teammates and the people that he works with to the risk of infection, he’s not being a good teammate.”

Milwaukee doesn’t have a vaccine mandate similar to the ones in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, the Bucks will be without Bobby Portis and Semi Ojeleye, their big men off the bench, who are out with injuries. Budenholzer hopes Milwaukee’s depth and roster continuity will help the team overcome any injury struggles this season, he said.