We are witnessing the breaking of a new day. Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a transcendant All-Time NBA Finals performance in his very first Finals appearance as he led the Milwaukee Bucks to victory over the Phoenix Suns, 4-2 in the 2021 NBA Finals. After being embarrassed in back to back playoff appearances, slander for Giannis started to escalate. By my estimation, it reached practically a fever point after the Bucks were destroyed by the Miami Heat in the Bubble in a 4-1 defeat. What made this worse was seeing Giannis win his second straight MVP. You had James Harden saying that he didn't use enough "skill" after he won the first award. Other players turned sour toward Giannis because he said that he did not want to practice with LeBron, Wade, Melo, CP3 among other veterans. This clearly rubbed them the wrong way. Instead of playing with them even in practice, he wanted to beat them. There were also former players turned analysts like Richard Jefferson who said he might be more of a "Scottie Pippen" who needed a Michael Jordan to rescue him. Kendrick Perkins referred to him as the Robin to Khris Middleton's Batman. Both are clear-cut insults referring to Giannis as a sidekick at best who couldn't be a leader. Scottie Pippen is an all-time great, but last time I checked he didn't win one MVP, let alone back-to-back. Guys like Jefferson and Perkins made these statements loud and proud with their chest and even doubled down until the Finals were over. Obviously, Skip Bayless found a new target with the Greek Freak to fire his darts at since LeBron is on his way out of the door. Bayless was among those who blew the trumpet after the Bucks won Games 5 and 6 over the Hawks when Middleton and JRue Holiday had outstanding performances without Giannis. Skip even said that Milwaukee looked like a better team WITHOUT him. Even when I would bring his name up in conversations at places like FootLocker or FootAction, I am met with a small silence and hesitation. Somebody even said that he would never win a ring after he re-signed with the Bucks. Initially, there may have been reason to feel that way with the Lakers winning and the Brooklyn Nets forming a superpower with their new Big 3 (Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden). With that said, it was considered taboo to even say his name given the previous evidence. However, I still had hope that things would turn around for him. Whenever I would see Giannis, I would see shades of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he was Milwaukee's first Superstar franchise player.
Jabbar carried the Bucks to their first championship in franchise history while winning Finals MVP. He also was a three-time MVP in Milwaukee by the time he was 27. Kareem wore 33 as Giannis wears 34. All the parallels were right there to make my case for Antetokounmpo. I also said if he added the Skyhook, it would make him highly unstoppable. Can you imagine if he added the post moves of Hakeem Olajuwon to his arsenal? It would be a nightmare for anybody going up against him. Even as a Lakers fan, I still had to admit that the future of the league is on the shoulders of Giannis. Another player that I drew parallels to was LeBron James. It may not sound like the popular thing to say, but once upon a time LeBron was in the same shoes.
Both were two-time MVPs by the time they were 26. Both Giannis and LeBron were known for dominating through sheer force and dominance with little left to be desired in the jump shot department. By this point in their careers, they were both in the crosshairs of media personalities such as Skip Bayless until they won a ring. We all know how LeBron's story turned out. Meanwhile, Giannis stuck to his guns and continued to dedicate himself to becoming the best version of himself. From the time the season started, I saw a spark that I had not seen before. He started doing more in the post instead of just the typical straight line fastbreak that teams like the Raptors and Heat were able to figure out. He started taking more chances with midrange and outside jumpers. Clearly, Giannis wasn't going to win three straight MVPs because of voter fatigue and two straight playoff failures. However, this worked in his favor because it gave him the edge to focus on the bigger picture: an NBA Championship. Even during their pursuit, Giannis was faced with rising criticsm over his jumper and free throw shooting. In an era where aesthetics and outside shooting are overemphasized, it can be exhausting. Still, he found a way to persevere. I have never seen so much of an obsession with three pointers since Steph Curry and Klay Thompson made it the standard all across the league with their massive success in Golden State. Since then, fans and analysts over stress it to the point where they don't respect somebody who is not a marksmen. Shaq was not known for his shooting, but he was highly effective and that is where Giannis is. Fast forward to the playoffs, and the Bucks have a rematch with the Miami Heat. This was the Greek Freak's redemption series and he delivered as Milwaukee put out the Heat in an overwhelming sweep. The next stop would take place in Brooklyn as the Bucks would battle the highly favored Nets. I knew that this would be the most pivotal series of the playoffs, because the winner would have the best chance of winning it all. Giannis vs Durant was definitely what I looked forward to from this series. After being down 0-2 (including a 39 point thrashing with a legendary KD crossover), the Bucks would climb back to bring this series to a decisive Game 7, along with a Kyrie injury previously. Milwaukee would hold off Brooklyn in the deciding Game at Barclays in Overtime after an all-time great game from Durant himself. The Bucks would go on to hold off the Atlanta Hawks, despite a roadblock where Giannis suffers his own injury that would sideline him for the rest of the series going into Games 5 and 6. After losing Game 1, Antetokounmpo would return for Game 2 to put up a great effort in a loss, leaving the series 0-2. The premature coronation for Chris Paul was underway, including a tweet from LeBron that said "2 down, 2 to go" along with the Suns in 4 fan celebrating. However, the tide would turn when the Greek Freak was at full strength as the Bucks would win 4 straight. With a great supporting cast of Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, PJ Tucker, Brook Lopez and others, Giannis carried the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee on his back to bring an NBA Title to the franchise for the first time in 50 years. Throughout the series Antetokounmpo was sensational as he provided the biggeset highlights (Blocking Ayton's alley oop, posterizing CP3 on an alleyoop from Holiday). To cap off the series, the Greek Freak would close out the series with 50 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks and go 17-19 from the free throw line in poetic fashion. His free throws were a glaring weakness that was a punchline for many, including Chris Paul himself. This game was the perfect clapback to the critics. For the series overall, Giannis averaged 35.2 ppg/13.2 rpg/5.0 apg. Giannis hit the reset button on the NBA as he won without a Superteam on his side, no matter what anyone else tries to say. He was rewarded for his loyalty and stayed committed to the team and the city when there was talk flying around about him going to the Warriors or Heat. Giannis is what the NBA needs as a breath of fresh air. His humility, dedication to his craft and loyalty are what have saved a league that has been plagued with ego and driven by greed. To see someone win without needing to have the deck stacked in their favor is as rare as they come in today's era. Giannis shows what happens when nice guys finish first. So much for somebody who doesn't have "skill".
No comments:
Post a Comment