Giannis Antetokounmpo in Shakuille O’Neal mode for the Bucks

Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony and Kyle Kuzma absent, Giannis Antetokounmpo will have even more offensive duties during the trip to Cleveland. In contrast, there was a response from Evan Mobley, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Jarrett Allen, even De’Andre Hunter.

However, with 40 points on 14/20 shooting, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, the Greek confirmed that he is in great shape and that he cannot be held back much.

We fought from the first minute to the last. We were down -15 or -16, but we came back, shot, worked hard on defense. We weren’t far, but we couldn’t come to a conclusion.”, say two-time MVP. “When you give so much, you want to win, and we can take into account the absence of Kuzma, Porter and Cole and tell ourselves that we are still in the match. But we are not like that. No matter who is there, you have to give your best.”

“If it’s an outfielder, he’s going to go down and be guilty. He’s not like that, so he never gets fouled.”

Unfortunately for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks didn’t he failed to win. But this brief setback is consistent with his statement before the start of the season, where he said Milwaukee would be dangerous team. Especially if the Greek keeps up this level of play.

“He carried the ball for most of the game and it’s exhausting. Still, he kept going into the racket looking for mistakes. That’s the way he is.”analyzes Doc Rivers, who did not want to pull too much (33 minutes) to keep his player fresh before this physical challenge. “Hit him, grab him, hold him. It’s crazy how many times he gets hit in the arms.”

The MVP of the 2021 Finals suffered as many as eleven fouls in this meeting in Ohio! He even finished with a fairly clean (for him) percentage (11/16) at the line.

“He’s like Shaquille O’Neal.”compares the Milwaukee coach as his superstar averages 36 points on 68% shooting and 11.7 free throw attempts per game.

“He doesn’t react to shots, so there’s no whistle. If he’s an outfielder, he’ll go down and be blamed. He’s not like that, so he never gets fouled, but he keeps going, he manages to pass through contact. That shows how tough he is.”

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How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.