The duty of stopping a participant like Giannis Antetokounmpo — has there ever been a participant like Giannis Antetokounmpo? — represents one thing of a collaborative quagmire.
You want a participant directly massive and powerful and nimble sufficient to remain in entrance of him. You want others, ideally long-armed males, pestering him with their arms from the periphery. Then you definately want somebody to face tall and defend the rim from the inevitable onslaught.
The Boston Celtics have all of these issues. They confirmed as a lot final week, in spectacular style, when Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the remainder of the Nets have been swallowed up of their quicksand protection. And, nonetheless, it might not be sufficient.
On Sunday, Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a complete, 101-89 win at Boston in Recreation 1 of their Jap Convention semifinals matchup, quieting, for an evening, the hype effervescent across the Celtics after their spectacular four-game sweep of the Nets.
Within the course of, in making one of many N.B.A.’s hottest groups look regular for an evening, the Bucks have been additionally making a degree: The nationwide basketball dialog — that nebulous factor that floats throughout tv and social media and newspaper columns — could inexplicably overlook them at instances, however they’re the defending champions, and so they make use of one of many world’s most spectacular athletes.
The league’s Most Priceless Participant Award this 12 months could also be seen as a two-man contest between Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. And cleaning soap operas and prepare wrecks could draw the main target of followers to different big-market groups. However all of the whereas, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are going about their enterprise as one of the vital formidable golf equipment within the league.
For Antetokounmpo, then, this sequence represents a possibility: How higher to burnish your towering fame than in opposition to the league’s most feared protection?
“He retains studying the sport,” Bucks Coach Mike Budenholzer mentioned of Antetokounmpo, who overcame some early struggles to register a triple double: 24 factors, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. “Typically it’s scoring it. Typically it’s sharing it. He is aware of he’s obtained to do each.”
The Celtics made a loud entrance onto the playoff stage final month with a flock of long-limbed, athletic defenders working collectively within the switching, scrambling, disorientingly aggressive defensive system of their first-year coach, Ime Udoka.
Durant appeared perplexed by all of it. After the sequence, he willingly sang Boston’s praises.
Durant and Antetokounmpo get pleasure from related statures within the N.B.A. They’re each virtuoso artists. However they work in several mediums. If Durant is a painter with a palette of positive watercolors, Antetokounmpo is a sculptor wielding a mallet and a chisel.
If Sunday was any indication, the physicality of Antetokounmpo and the remainder of the Bucks’ roster might characterize a key distinction between the primary and second rounds for the Celtics.
When the Celtics tried to funnel Antetokounmpo this fashion or that, he merely skipped round them, a sports activities automobile swerving via visitors. If Boston’s defenders — massive males, all of them — tried extra bodily strategies to throttle him, they bounced feebly off his physique.
Halfway via the fourth quarter, the Celtics appeared, for as soon as, to corral Antetokounmpo right into a lifeless finish. Wanting round and realizing he was trapped — “I’m going to get caught,” he mentioned he instructed himself — he flipped the ball off the backboard and snatched it out of the air once more for a two-handed dunk over Jayson Tatum’s head.
“That’s pure expertise, pure intuition,” Budenholzer mentioned. “He’s an amazing participant. He does issues which might be distinctive and particular and well timed. That’s a kind of performs the place you’re simply pleased he’s on our aspect.”
Extra necessary than one celebrity’s solo work, although — and one other probably essential distinction between the circumstances of Durant and Antetokounmpo — have been the contributions of Milwaukee’s supporting forged.
The highlight on Antetokounmpo has sizzled brighter within the absence of Khris Middleton, the staff’s second-best participant, whose participation on this sequence stays doubtful after he injured his left knee in Recreation 2 of the primary spherical final month. A 3-time All-Star who averaged 20.1 factors and 5.4 assists per sport within the common season, Middleton instructions loads of consideration along with his capability to create his personal shot and rating in isolation.
With him watching the sport from the bench in a navy blue jacket, a lot extra of the Celtics’ focus might circulate towards Antetokounmpo, with the ball spending a lot extra time in his arms.
However these bemoaning Middleton’s absence could also be overlooking the Bucks’ remaining forged of reliable satellite tv for pc contributors, gamers able to sinking a shot after a protection has collapsed on Antetokounmpo.
Jrue Vacation, celebrated usually for his protection however a formidable scorer when known as upon, chipped in 25 factors, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Grayson Allen led the Bucks’ reserves with 11 factors, making three of six 3-point makes an attempt.
“I attempt to be so simple as attainable,” Antetokounmpo mentioned. “My teammates have been there, they have been open and so they have been pulling down pictures.”
Nonetheless, all of those gamers, everything of the Bucks’ universe — their offense, their protection, their collective temper and character — revolves round Antetokounmpo.
How a lot gasoline does he should burn? He performed all however a number of seconds within the first quarter, took a brief break firstly of the second and obtained some reluctant relaxation within the third after an ill-advised fourth foul. In any other case, he huffed via 38 punishing minutes, incomes respite on the finish solely as a result of the sport was clearly determined.
Afterward, he let loose a protracted groan as he folded himself right into a chair to speak to reporters.
“Perhaps I’m bizarre,” Antetokounmpo mentioned when requested whether or not he felt roughed up. “I thrive via physicality. I like feeling beat up after video games. I don’t know why. My household thinks I’m a weirdo.”
For a Celtics protection nonetheless smarting from a steamrollering, these could also be ominous phrases.
