Giannis Antetokounmpo pointed out two scratches on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s forehead. The other was on his cheek.
He believes that those NBA Finals battle scars prove that the frustrated Phoenix Suns really are fouling him.
Antetokounmpo stated, “So they are making my pretty face ugly.”
Although the Suns might be whacking and hacking him, they aren’t stopping Milwaukee Bucks star.
Antetokounmpo, fresh off two consecutive 40-point performances will attempt to help the Bucks win Game 4 on Wednesday.
The Suns know that Antetokounmpo will continue to attack them, whether he is squeezing his face or causing pain in his knee.
Chris Paul, point guard, said that he was running at full speed every play. It’s like a running back going downhill.
Antetokounmpo scored 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds during the Bucks’ 120–100 win in Game 3. This was in addition to his 42 points in Game 2 and 12 rebounds in game 2, which made him the sixth player to have consecutive 40 point games in the NBA Finals.
The Suns already had to face Nikola Jokic and LeBron James during their run to the first NBA Finals since 1993. They have to find ways to defeat MVP players.
Antetokounmpo’s end-to-end bursts of speed that take only two or three dribbles are a different challenge. Paul stated that Suns coach Monty Williams’ instructions were to just try to get in Antetokounmpo’s way. However, it is difficult to pay too much attention to the Bucks’ shooters, Jrue holiday, and Brook Lopez, who are set up around the perimeter.
Paul stated that the Suns will stick to their game plan.
He said, “We’re going continue to try to build a Wall.”
Antetokounmpo is accustomed to this.
He recalls that it was around two years ago that teams began to use the defensive strategy of packing multiple people in his path to basket.
Antetokounmpo doesn’t like playing against it. “I’m going to lie, I hate it,” said he. But he has come to see it as a compliment and added that it’s “funny there’s a defense out here called the Giannis wall.”
He’s also learned how to beat it, which is important for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo believes that he was a great passer before teams began using the wall, and he’s happy to pass the ball to players when they need it. In Game 3, he had six assists.
Antetokounmpo stated, “It’s hard because you want be effective, and you want the downhill, but now you also — it’s personal also.”
“There is a team trying to block you by building a wall with three people and two behind them. You must not take it personally and make the right play, find that right guy.
Antetokounmpo made 17 free throws during Game 3. Williams later noted that this was more than any other Suns player. When asked Tuesday why he complained, Antetokounmpo suddenly became testy.
Williams stated that one of the opponents had 17 free throws, while we had 16. “That’s not complaining. This is stating the facts.
Williams saw the film and knew that Sunday’s problems for the Suns began long before any fouls. Antetokounmpo grabbed a rebound from Phoenix and moved the ball up the court after it missed its first shot. Holiday drifted into the corner alone to receive the pass from the two-time MVP for an open 3-pointer. The Suns lost track of Holiday because they were too focused on him.
It’s hard to believe that you can’t have both. Williams stated that you must be able both to build a wall and keep your defenses intact from the other side.
Antetokounmpo is two short of Michael Jordan’s record of consecutive 40-point games at the NBA Finals. He could do even better in Game 4. The schedule allowed the teams to play only once in five days. This gave Antetokounmpo plenty of time to heal his left knee, which caused him to miss two Eastern Conference finals.
Devin Booker, the Suns’ forward, is expected to be even better after Game 3’s 3-for-14 shooting. He scored 29 points per game in the first two games.
Mike Budenholzer, Bucks coach, said that “He’s great, but he also has human qualities.” “But I think that we’re expecting that we’ll have to be even more good on him,”
