The Milwaukee Bucks began their title defense on Easter Sunday as they played host to the Chicago Bulls. In a defensive battle with both teams struggling to find their way offensively, Bucks MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo decided to take things himself. Early on in the second quarter with the Bucks leading by nine, Antetokounmpo found himself in the lane with nothing to do. He decided to play the ball to himself and threw the ball up off the backboard, caught it and threw it down for a huge two-hand jam.
It’s not the first time Giannis has done such a thing, but probably the biggest stage. After the game, the Bucks superstar talked about how it came to be.
"I don't know it's just instincts…sometimes I feel like I get stuck. I'm looking at my passes and there's no pass there and the only pass is to the backboard"
Giannis on his off-the-backboard pass to himself during Game 1. pic.twitter.com/vYIsKw8ZUA
— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2022
“I don’t know it’s just instincts…sometimes I feel like I get stuck. I’m looking at my passes and there’s no pass there and the only pass is to the backboard.” If you watch the play, you will see the Bucks forward was right. There was nowhere to go with the ball and he was about to lose his dribble. So, he did the only thing he could think of in the moment.
Bucks’ Antetokounmpo had yet another massive postseason game. He finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks. He was the only Bucks player outside of Wesley Matthews (2-for-3) to shoot over 50 percent in the game. But it was what he did on the defensive end that made the biggest difference.
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic shot just 9-for-27, with many of those shots contested by Giannis. Sunday was a shining example of why the Bucks superstar is a legit MVP candidate seemingly every year. It’s hard to find anyone in the NBA that can have that type of impact on both ends of the floor.
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