Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 116-97 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers
By Adam McGee
Giannis keeps the show rolling
After an opening night performance that grabbed all of the headlines, Giannis Antetokounmpo followed it up with another showing of similar quality against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While many have already looked to ascribe greater meaning and significance to LeBron James blocking a Giannis shot in the second half, the reality is that the Greek Freak played better than any other player on the floor on Friday night.
Finishing with a line of 34 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block, Giannis finished a set of games against the Eastern Conference’s two benchmarks that equate to nothing other than throwing down a gauntlet.
Through two games, Giannis is averaging 35.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.0 steals, all while shooting a remarkable 63.6 percent from the field. If that’s the kind of play he’s capable of against the league’s top tier talent, it’s very tough to see how any of the league’s lesser teams will be able to stand up to him at all.
As most Bucks fans should understand by now, the narrative of “when Giannis learns to shoot” is completely irrelevant. He gets to the rim whenever he wants, no matter how much opposing teams want him to have to shoot a jumper. Eventually everyone else will realize that too, as if you can score 30 points or more with such regularity, there isn’t really a missing link offensively.
The short of it is the performances that are wowing the NBA to start the season, may become a nightly occurrence for Giannis.