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The Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 in the first game of their NBA playoff series, taking a 1-0 lead and putting the pressure on the Bucks.
But it wasn't just the loss that made headlines, it was Kyle Kuzma's forgettable performance, a nightmare he wants to erase from history as soon as possible.
Kyle, with 22 minutes on the court, recorded 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 0 blocks, 0 steals, with 0 of 5 field goals and 0 of 2 three-point attempts. Embarrassing numbers for someone representing the team, and the criticism was swift.
His stat sheet was virtually blank except for two fouls. According to sources, only five players had ever finished a playoff game without recording any other action in the game.
Not only did he break that record, but he became only the second Bucks player to reach that unusual and unenviable milestone; the first was Tony Snell in 2017, who spent 28 minutes on the court without leaving a mark on the stat sheet.
Kyle Kuzma goes viral and becomes a meme
NBA fans didn't let him off the hook, pointing to him as one of the culprits, but it didn't stop there. He went viral, but not for a good reason, because of his terrible performance in the game against the Pacers.
"Tony Snell can rest now."
"Petition to replace Snell meme with Kuzma, he deserves it more".
"Stop portraying Giannis as a humble superstar. He's the reason these Bucks are falling. How can you trade someone like Jrue and Middleton. Most selfish, sneaky guy in the history of the NBA."
These were some of the comments that could be read on social media. As we can see, there were even people who defended Kuzma.
Even Doc Rivers, the coach of the Bucks, came out in defense of his player, in a strategy to relieve him of all the pressure and ridicule.
"It's hard to score when you're not touching the ball," he explained.
Kuzma's lackluster performance, along with three other starters who barely combined with Giannis for 14 points, caused concern. Milwaukee is hoping for a stronger response from its starting five in its next game, which will be its second chance on Tuesday, April 22.