By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics certainly has no match in the NBA. However, the Milwaukee Bucks with a hand from LeBron James and company reminisced the 1972-73 season, the last time two NBA sides made it twenty wins above .500 so early in the regular season, per Elias Sports. Instead of the two teams with the highest number of championships, the Milwaukee organization now stands alongside the Lakers.
“I marked this game”
Records aside, the game versus the Memphis Grizzlies was not just another night for Bucks‘ leader Giannis Antetokounmpo. Back in September, Brazil defeated Greece in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, a loss that proved costly for the European national team. Bruno Caboclo was part of the Brazilian squad and forward a few months on the wrong end of an emphatic poster dunk.
“I marked this game” confessed the 25-year-old forward to The Athletic. As for Caboclo, Antetokounmpo was keen to express his feelings towards the 24-year-old forward immediately following his jam. That’s what happens when you upset the MVP.
Winning…
The Bucks are on a 17-game winning streak, needed Giannis Antetokounmpo to power through the Grizzlies on the road on Friday night. He made his presence felt late in the 2019-20 Regular Season contest by pouring 17 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter.
“This is where the leader of the team takes a step forward and says, ‘OK, it doesn’t matter what’s going on, if he made seven or if they’re up 10 we’re got to execute, we’ve got to win the game.’ So, I was just trying to stay focused and know that I’m going to come back in the fourth quarter and try to get the job done” he mentioned afterwards.
… and having fun
It’s been over a month since the Bucks last tasted defeat. The Greek Freak played in 16 out of the 17 games of the streak, only missed the previous tilt. Averaging 32.3 points, 12.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists during the winning stretch strengthens his MVP bid, on the other hand brings joy and optimism to the team ahead of key challenges that follow.
“If we weren’t having fun, we would not be winning,” mentioned Antetokounmpo after laying some WWE moves on Robin Lopez. “This is the most fun of a team we’ve had in a while in my short seven years here. It’s amazing. We just have to keep having fun and at the end of the day, everything will be fine.”
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