Kyrie Irving: Nets Would've Won 2021 NBA Title If Not For My Ankle Injury

Kyrie Irving said on Twitter that the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets would have won the NBA title if he didn't suffer a sprained right ankle during the playoffs.

The ex-Net suffered a sprained right ankle in Game 4 of the Nets' second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Brooklyn had a 2-1 series lead over the Bucks and trailed Milwaukee 44-40 in the second quarter when Irving departed.

Irving may have a point.

For starters, Milwaukee proceeded to win three of the next four games. The Nets nearly picked off the Bucks in Game 7 of the series before falling 115-111 in overtime. Having Irving in that one certainly could have made a difference.

The Bucks ended up beating the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals before taking down the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Both series went six games.

That season (and the Kevin Durant-Irving-James Harden superteam era) ultimately ended as a "What if?" scenario for the Nets, as all three players suit up elsewhere now.

Irving requested a trade and got one in February when he was sent to the Mavs. He's an impending free agent (barring a re-signing) and just averaged 26.9 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 20 games for Dallas.