For three years, Giannis Antetokounmpo knows what to expect in the playoffs. Defenses build a wall to prevent him from going to the circle, and over the years he has learned to deal with this type of defense, both through his changes of pace but also by distributing play at the right time.
From Sunday, the wall of Boston will rise in front of him. It’s simply the best defense in the NBA, but the Bulls allowed him to prepare well. Already in the regular season, last November, the Bulls had caused five offensive faults!
A form of compliment
“I take it as a compliment when they try to get in front of me to force a passage” explains the 2021 Finals MVP. “There are going to be times when they will force the passage, but when I watch the matches and the videos, I remain aggressive. I do my job, and so do they. »
Facing Giannis, there will no longer be Patrick Williams or Nikola Vucevic, but Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum or even Al Horford and Robert Williams. Nothing to scare him. Nothing will prevent him from going to the circle.
“Usually they try to force a pass for you to take a foul or two to slow you down” poursuit Giannis Antetokounmpo. “But history has shown it: I can make three offensive fouls, take a fourth – and I keep going into the key. I can go home at night, relax with my family and know that I tried to go snowshoeing and if I couldn’t it was because they built a wall of five people and that I took five passes in force. I accept it. You know, I can’t play with the idea that I’m afraid of taking fouls or going into the racket.
Watch out for injuries
The most important thing for the Milwaukee superstar is to avoid injuries. With each contact, there can be a knee-to-knee shock. You can also hurt yourself by falling, or precisely by avoiding a defender…
« There are times when guys fall, and it’s extremely dangerous because there’s nowhere to go… We try to avoid them but we’re at the mercy of injury. I just keep trying to play on instinct, make the right move and avoid players. A forced passage does not necessarily slow down my aggressiveness. There will be times when they will get in front of me, and they will try to force a pass… But I will bring the ball out to an open guy who will make a 3-pointer. »
But be careful because Boston has two of the best players to force passages in the NBA with Derrick White (25) and Marcus Smart (16) who will undoubtedly try to get in the way of the “Greek Freak”.
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| Total | 656 | 33 | 53.5 | 28.8 | 71.8 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 21.8 | |