Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Legacy Lies in his Hands
Milwaukee Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo has a chance to write his own history book heading into Game 3 against the Miami Heat.
Nobody’s been under as much scrutiny and pressure as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have this season. After waddling in mediocracy throughout his entire career, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks catapulted the rebuilding ladder and went right to championship contenders last season when they won 60 games and finished the regular season with the best record. A year later, his legacy could be at stake.
Milwaukee won 10 of their first 11 postseason games in 2019 with Antetokounmpo playing every bit the part of best player in the world. Then something happened. More accurately, a wall was built. Toronto Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse unleashed the infamous wall on Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, a device they still haven’t figured out 15 damn months later. The wall shut down the about-to-be-crowned MVP and flustered their entire team on their way to a swift and unexpected postseason exit.
Immediately following the Game 6 loss which eliminated the Bucks, ESPN’s Malika Andrews dropped an article about Antetokounmpo’s uncertain future in Milwaukee. Apparently, Antetokounmpo himself wasn’t happy with her, as he walked out of a postgame press conference after she asked a question. The questions continued about his future throughout the offseason and dominated click-bait talk shows on all the major networks DESPITE ANTETOKOUNMPO HAVING TWO YEARS REMAINING ON HIS CONTRACT.
After the Bucks lost Game 2 to the Miami Heat in the conference semi-finals and fell into an 0-2 hole in the series, the critics came out even stronger. He was accused of being a fraud, some said he wasn’t deserving of the MVP and he was even compared to Scottie Pippen in that he can’t win the critical games without a bigger star next to him. All this despite Antetokounmpo scoring a game-high 29 points on 18 shots.
Even worse for Bucks’ fans is the constant chatter about their star bolting for Miami, Toronto or Dallas seemed to get even louder after Milwaukee’s loss on Wednesday night.
The calls for his demise might prove to be true, but they are premature more than anything else. After all, Milwaukee was up 2-0 in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals before losing four straight and swiftly being eliminated. Things can change fast in the playoffs.
Regardless, analysts don’t have that same energy with Anthony Davis who is a Free Agent THIS year. Perhaps, it’s because we’ve never seen a player like Antetokounmpo whose ascent to stardom is unparalleled in the entire sport’s world. Despite being on the verge of winning his second MVP, he still has a lot of room for growth. His three-point shooting lacks consistency and he needs development in his mid-range game. There’s a clear path toward the league’s best player getting even better.
This dude is on a whole other level and the sky literally is the limit for him.
The Heat has certainly been turned up on the Bucks and their star, making Game 3 an absolute must-win. Falling in the semi-finals or, even worse, getting swept, would have a damaging effect on Antetokounmpo’s historic legacy.
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Milwaukee needs a superhero to save them in this series. The good news is Antetokounmpo might just have special powers. He’s the best player in this series, by far. He has the ability to control both ends of the court and put his fingerprints on every possession. He’s got the whole world in his hand.