Giannis Antetokounmpo picks up NBA playoff game at once

MILWAUKEE – Giannis Antetokounmpo defends more than any other young player in the game today as he is next in line with the big players. He not only possesses the required combination of impressive talent and extreme competitiveness, but he also possesses the rare gift of an easy and unceded charisma.

Antetokounmpo releases both joy and a relentless passion in his work. His personality is not hard, no weight of the world rests on his broad shoulders. It may still be coming. Or perhaps we are witnessing its recovery in real time, events occurring too quickly to be placed in a proper context.

Consider the second game of the Eastern Conference finals, which ended a few minutes after the start. In the first possession of the game, Antetokounmpo rebounded and launched a vicious dunk with both hands. Second, he blocked Marc Gasol of Toronto from oblivion. The third, Giannis has escaped for another dunk. And a few pieces later, he sent the ball to Nikola Mirotic for a very open 3-pointer.

On two possessions in the space of two and a half minutes, Giannis imposed his will on the match and left no doubt that the Bucks were heading to Toronto with a 2-0 lead. He showed everything in those first minutes: the dunks who were shaking on the rim, the massive deterrent to the basket and the cunning game that pushed his game to a whole new level.

"To write the first three goods, and the shot blocked, it's for me the one that stands out," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. "I think that when Giannis is active and that he protects the paint, protects the rim, he plays so hard. He puts everything on the line all the time. "

This is the essence of Giannis. He does not wait his turn nor ask permission. Instead, he takes this post-season and makes it his own. As he did during the regular season, when he led the Bucks to the league's best record en route to what looks like the first of many seasons among the most valuable players.

As a result of another 30-point, 17 rebound and five assists, we always felt we had not seen the best of what he could offer. As, this guy only scratches the surface of a potential so vast that it goes against the description or even the categorization.

"I'm really lucky to have Giannis," Budenholzer said. "It's amazing, and then, I think it can be even better. The big advantage of Giannis is that he wants to be better. We train him and we are on him. We think he can do more, and he's just taking care of it. It's so unique to have a player like that who wants to be great and you feel like you have more, and yet he's been phenomenal. You can not say enough good things about Giannis. "

Throughout the history of the NBA, a well established protocol has been established for any young player seeking to ascend to the pantheon of immortals. First, there is the stage of the phenomenon where everyone is amazed by the talent and dreams of impossible dreams. Giannis took advantage of an extended version of this honeymoon period because it came before us so raw and so unknown.

Then there is the calculation, when the disappointments of the playoffs are compiled and the challenge is revealed. This is where weaknesses are magnified and improvements become mandatory.

That's the way that Michael Jordan and LeBron James have taken. For GM, it was about developing a post-game and learning to trust his teammates. For LeBron, it was a matter of adding a jump shot and understanding the right balance between facilitation and dominance.

On rare occasions, wrestling occurs after validation. Think Magic Johnson will replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a rookie and lead the Lakers beyond the 76ers in the 1980 finals. Or Larry Bird winning a championship in his second season. Both players had to cope with post-championship spin-offs before reaching their best years.

Antetokounmpo is at the crossroads of these two trips. After assimilating the lessons learned from the first three rounds of the first round in the relative anonymity of modest expectations, his Bucks now have two victories to win to reach the final. It's a sudden event that has actually been going on for six years, but it's still staggering to wonder how much he's progressed in his career.

Even at this point, a failure would put him in the usual path set by LeBron and MJ. Winning everything would throw its trajectory into unknown territory. Whatever you want, Giannis is a must-have force for the next decade.

His appearance comes at a pivotal moment for the league, which has turned into an act that could be the last act of the Warrior dynasty and the final stages of LeBron's career. If these playoffs were first wrapped in uncertainty without the immense power of LeBron's stars, they turned into a showcase for the sublime gifts of Antetokounmpo.

His talent is as undeniable as it is evolutionary. Like LeBron, he can do things that players of his size would never have envisioned, let alone tempted. Whether it's reaching the giant two-legged basket from the midfield line or having a block chased, Giannis is good for a handful of transcendent players every night that leave you shaking your head.

As Pascal Siakam from Toronto said, "Giannis is Giannis. I do not think there is anyone like him.

What separated him from this post-season is his patience. At just 24 years old, he plays with balance and purpose that conceals his age and experience. Consider the obvious hole in his game, which is the lack of a reliable shot. This can still happen, and when that happens, "We are crazy," as one scout said before the game. And by "we," he hears the whole league.

However, Giannis has developed a counter that reads the defense and plays the right game. The shooters are spread all over the field, his ability and willingness to push him to open his teammates in double and triple teams are just as effective as to do everything himself. In fact, it's even better since it involves each of his teammates who have proved to be elite players.

Some of Antetokounmpo's most impressive works during the playoffs were achieved by elevating others. One night, it's Brook Lopez. Next is Malcolm Brogdon or Ersan Ilyasova. Playing with Giannis is a game on the podium that awaits everyone who has a warm hand. He's the genius of the Bucks line-up, and that's what coach Bud told him before the season.

"It's one of the things Bud told me the first time we met," said Antetokounmpo. "He said to me, 'You can be good. We know that. But how can we make your teammates effective? "

After the Bucks lost only the playoffs against Boston, Giannis set the tone by not biting the hook and trying to do it alone. Instead, he made the right passes and his teammates prospered. In opening the final phase of the Eastern Conference, his 24 and 14 years seemed ordinary in relation to his criteria. However, his efforts were underscored by an understanding that trying to do too much would be detrimental to his team's performance.

"It's the beauty of basketball," said Antetokounmpo. "It's the beauty of our team, to be able to trust each other."

And then there is competitiveness. The stories of his late-night training are legendary, so much so that Budenholzer spontaneously noted that it would not be a bad thing if he mitigated some of it and gave his body more time to rest and recover. Balance comes with age, but Giannis has one thing you can not teach, it's the internal player.

"It's an elite," said Budenholzer. "There are a lot of good players. There is a lot of talent in this league. I think there are a lot of great competitors in this league. And then there are others that competitiveness is just at the next level. And it stands out when you talk to him, watch him work and practice. He wants to win. And the advantage of him is that I think he is happy when his teammates succeed. He is happy when others play well and he just wants to win. "

It's all about winning.

These four words are the ultimate compliment in this league. Beyond glitter and glamor, it is this desire to win that separates the great talents from the real elite. That's what Giannis delivers night after night and that's what we expect. Everything is happening now before our eyes. Ready or not, the future of the league is here and he does not wait his turn.

Can you repeat it anyway ?!

"This is just an added bonus, and if Anthony Davis is trying to decide whether he can or can not trust, if we can build a winner, I hope we can prove that day after day. And if AD wants to be part of it, it's wonderful. And if he does not adhere to what we try to do, that's good too. It's not something for me that answered a conversation. The answer is revealed over a period of time. "

-David Griffin after the pelicans landed the first choice.

Reaction: Count me among those who will be shocked if Griff manages to convince AD ​​to sign this extension, but if winning the lottery moves the needle slightly, it is worth it to try.

"I do not remember anymore. When he had 33 in the second half, were they trapped? They were? And he scored 33 in the second half? D & # 39; AGREEMENT. Yeah, we'll watch that.

Terry Stotts, Blazers coach

Reaction: Terry Stotts had strong defensive teams during his tenure, dropping his big man in the paint and removing the rim. It does not work against Steph Curry. Stotts is not stupid and he adjusted his covers in the second game.

"I talk about it all the time, so I blame you for not exposing anymore. I do not know. I think Klay gets lost in the brewing because we have Steph and K.D., two MVPs, former MVPs. Draymond gets a lot of attention, as it should be. He is a star player and is in a way the emotional heartbeat of our team. Klay sometimes mixes a little. But you ask any league coach he is one of the most respected players in the game because of his ability to make ends meet. "

-The Golden State coach, Steve Kerr, on Klay Thompson

Reaction: Kerr has a point. There have been moments in years when I've had a vote – whether it's for the All-Star or the All-NBA or the All Defense – when I thought about Klay then I'd I voted for someone else whose impact seems a little bigger because they do not have much talent around them. Honestly, it does a disservice to him.

"When they catch Draymond with the ball in their hands and Steph and Klay have moved, they have to go to the ball because these guys are shooting so well and once Draymond understands it, what do you do next?" piece. You know, a guy gets a lot of attention and you have to find someone who can pick up the ball and play the next game because it's basically four to three. He's really good at that. "

– Guard of Portugal Damian Lillard.

Reaction: My favorite thing about the playoffs was the resurrection of the pick-and-roll Steph-Draymond. Mandatory Note: Enjoying the way the Warriors play without Kevin Durant does not make them "better" without KD.

"I think you have to do it as a player. You know, we can not sit and look over our shoulder and say, "Hey, man, when will K come back?" We just have to play with what we have.

-Draymond Green in the absence of Kevin Durant.

Reaction: Players are much better than others in putting things like injuries in context and not worrying about them. It looks like a good lesson in life.

The list

Consumable Thoughts NBA

It's been a while since the lottery has not influenced the course of NBA history. Here are five thoughts on ping pong balls, or what they use now.

The gods of the lottery like Griff

In addition to being a smart leader, David Griffin has the chance to play the lottery. He was one of the teams with the best overall pick in 2011, 2013, 2014 and now in 2019. Ok, so one of those picks became the legendary bust Anthony Bennett, but Griff used those other choices to nominate candidates Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. turned into Kevin Love.) It has been said that the Pels did not deserve the first choice since they had squandered the early years of Anthony Davis, but that's not how it works?

The gods of the lottery also looked sweetly at Memphis

The Grizzlies took some heat from the basketball nihilism wing for actually trying to stretch. It turns out that this effort has been rewarded by the second overall choice. Take it, nihilists! This choice should be the state phenomenon Murray, Ja Morant. This, in turn, will facilitate the negotiation of Mike Conley. Good for the Grizz. Tanking is overrated. Trying is good for the soul.

It's not such a bad issue for the Knicks

It's really New York to be disappointed only get the third pick in a lottery in which Phoenix and Cleveland have fallen on the top four. Of course, missing out on the Zion Williamson draft is hard to beat, but the Knicks will still have control of the draft once Zion and Morant have 1-2. Considering that Memphis will not participate in the Anthony Davis draw, the Knicks have the best commercial advantage in this draft. Is it enough to get the ANNOUNCEMENT? Maybe, maybe not, but you could have someone else, if you decide to move the pick. The Knicks have options. It's a good thing!

The Lakers must decide what kind of team they want to be

Los Angeles has embarked on this project by reviewing a late lottery pick and finished with the fourth pick. This gives them four top-four picks in the last five years, which should have been enough to build a dynamic and young list. They were wrong with D'Angelo Russell and probably made blunders by facing Jayson Tatum and De'Aaron Fox with Lonzo Ball. (We are still at the beginning, so we will reserve our judgment.) The most important problem is that the development of young talent does not go hand in hand with a pleasant experience of LeBron James. So what will it be? It feels like a decision is necessary.

Lottery changes worked

By leveling the odds at the top of the lottery, the NBA has less incentive teams to discard. And by expanding the draw among the top four, this has allowed a team like the Lakers to move to four, providing an additional degree of volatility. We will never have a perfect system, but it was an improvement over the old way of doing things. Hooray for progress.