For once, Giannis Antetokounmpo was mortal. The Milwaukee Bucks might have crumbled in that scenario a year ago. Under Mike Budenholzer this season, though, the Bucks have developed the team-wide cohesion necessary to withstand the relative struggles of their best player and come away victorious.
After his team's 117-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, Budenholzer expressed what makes this Milwaukee team different from last season's – and, based on the Bucks' unsurpassed two-way success during the regular season, every other team in the NBA, too.
“We're a team that plays together; try and take what the defense gives us; guys have opportunities; guys have a lot of confidence to make plays,” he said. “It's not just all about Giannis, as amazing and great as he is. If and when we need more from other people, I think it's a credit to Giannis to let his teammates carry him some nights, carry him some stretches. He just loves this group. He loves playing with the guys, he loves to see them succeed. It's a credit to him and a credit to the guys around him.”
Antetokounmpo, occasionally frustrated by the dogged defense of a healthy-enough-to-play Blake Griffin, had just 14 points on 13 shots in Game 3, committing four turnovers. But six of his teammates scored in double-figures, including three bench players, and the Bucks shot 48.8 percent from the field, made 14 threes, and went 21-of-24 from the line – good for a true shooting percentage of 61.1.
There's a case to be made that the basketball world has underrated Antetokounmpo's performance this season – that's how uniquely dominant he was compared to every other player that's ever come before him. Still, what makes his team truly great is that the Bucks aren't a one-man band, a reality they had a golden, and rare, opportunity to prove in Game 4 given Antetokounmpo's lackluster performance.
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