By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 20 points and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics, 116-91, at the Fiserv Forum for the 4-1 triumph in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Greek Freak finished the best-of-seven series averaging 28.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.2 dimes, 1.6 rejections and 1.6 steals per contest.
He tweaked his left ankle and picked up a third foul during the third quarter of Game 5, but remained on the court helping his team clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. Up next will be the Toronto Raptors or the Philadelphia 76ers. “Both teams are very dangerous. We have to be ready for whoever wins that series” Antetokounmpo pointed out.
The Bucks will have the home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals and in the 2019 NBA Playoffs Finals if they indeed make it that far. However, closing out the Celtics was on their agenda on Wednesday. “It was a team effort. We didn’t mess around with the game. We did our job. We defended. We moved the ball” the Greek Freak said.
Asked about the four consecutive wins after dropping Game 1, he replied: “I think our mindset changed. In the first game, we weren’t focused enough. We weren’t ourselves. The next four games, we came out with a different approach, a different mindset.”
The 24-year-old point forward also mentioned: “We’re working all year to be in this position now and play good basketball at the end of the season” and added: “A lot of people are still going to doubt us. That’s the world of basketball. We realize that we never been there before, but we work really hard to achieve our goals. That’s all we care about, we don’t care about what anybody has to say.”