'Tis the Season to Be Deer-y: Giannis-Led Bucks on Top of NBA

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Photo credit: Keith Allison

On a cold Milwaukee night in December, the Bucks welcomed the Los Angeles Lakers inside Fiserv Forum for a game that featured the top two teams in the league that shared the best record. Despite both teams coming off losses—with the Mavericks ending the Bucks’ 18-game win streak and the Lakers falling short to the Pacers—there was still a lot to look forward to. Add in three MVP candidates, and it was quite the early Christmas present as the hype made it feel like a playoff atmosphere. Milwaukee came out guns blazing and raced out to a 19-point halftime lead before holding off the Lake Show for a 111-104 win.

People will try to downplay it as a just another regular season game and say that rings are not won in December. I get that. I also understand that the Lakers were on the backend of an East Coast road trip. However, this isn’t about the Lakers. This was about the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks showing up on a national stage to make a statement, and they did just that.

"I think the most important thing is to try to stay humble. When you win MVP and you win 60 games, it's hard," the Greek Freak said to reporters after his 34-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist performance. "You feel like, 'OK, what else?' But at the end of the day, I realize and my family realizes that I'm not supposed to be here."   

Giannis and his brothers didn’t take the typical road to the NBA, and it was special to see three of the four brothers meet at the end of the game and swap jerseys.

"I wasn't the number one pick, Anthony Davis was, LeBron was," Antetokounmpo said. "I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to go up against these two beasts. So, I'm just happy that I'm here and happy that I'm going through the process, and I always want to be better, do better for my team and that's what gives me joy."

Now in his seventh season, Giannis has continued to grow and is on his way to becoming the face of the league. The most impressive thing about Thursday night wasn’t the Bucks winning the game. It was the way Giannis came out with a fearless attitude and made it clear that he was the best player on a floor that also included LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He showed his usual dominance in the paint while also making his presence felt on the defensive end. The key stat everyone is talking about today, though, is Giannis knocking down a career-high five threes on eight attempts.

For Bucks fans, this is a long time coming and something they’ve been starting to get accustomed to this season. Last season, Giannis made just 52 threes in 72 games while shooting just 25.3%. This season, Giannis has already knocked down 49 of 145 three-point attempts (33.8%) in 28 games, including a current 21-47 stretch through eight games this month.

"I'm going to keep shooting. It doesn't matter for me if I made one, two or five, I just want to be better," Antetokounmpo said. "And there’re going to be some nights that I'm going to make zero, and there'll be nights I'll make five, but I've got to keep shooting because that's what my team wants me to do."

While harnessing a respectable outside jump shot seems to be one of the final pieces to Giannis’ game before he becomes unstoppable, he understands that it’s all about constantly improving and finding ways to help his team win.

"Winning games, that's one, but [so is] improving and seeing the result at the end of the day. All the shots I made today, I've made these shots like four or five years ago, so seeing them going in tonight, that gives me joy," Antetokounmpo said. "That makes me want to work on other parts of my game, and I can make those shots three years from now. That's what fills me with joy."

Bottom Line

Most people, along with the national media, will downplay Milwaukee’s win over the Lakers just like they downplayed the Bucks’ recent 18-game win streak. The fact of the matter is that they went out and showed that not only do they have the best player in the league, but they are also the best team in the league at this point. Of course, they will have to prove it even more in the playoffs, but they are arguably better than last year’s team that won 60 games, and it’s showing in almost every category.

Take away what you will from Thursday’s win over the Lakers, but it’s okay to sit back and appreciate what this team is doing. They play with high energy every night and are doing it with only one superstar in a league that features a superstar duo on most contending teams. Giannis has the best supporting cast he’s ever had, and its clear they aren’t afraid of anything that gets in their way.