Raptors have no answers for the MVP
Credit to the Boston Celtics, who found a way to slow Giannis Antetokounmpo down for the first two games of a series at least. The Toronto Raptors, unfortunately for them, have had no such success.
Even worse, not only has Toronto failed to slow Antetokounmpo down, but they’re having one of their best players taken out of the game by the Bucks superstar, who was officially announced as a finalist for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year on Friday.
That was a key part of the story on Friday, as not only did Antetokounmpo deliver a sensational 30 points, 17 rebounds and five assists, but he held Pascal Siakam to just eight points as the Cameroonian fouled out after just 26 minutes of play, thanks in large part to having to guard Giannis.
On Friday, Antetokounmpo set the tone very early on as he dunked and blocked his way into a frenzy within the opening minute or so, sparking a raucous atmosphere in Fiserv Forum and kickstarting a 9-0 run for his team.
Heading back to Toronto without a win, it’s already approaching desperation time for the Raptors. Perhaps their biggest problem of all lies in their inability to even make a dent on Antetokounmpo so far, though.
If you can’t bother Giannis early on in the series before he gets accustomed to your defense, and when he’s dealing with a week’s worth of rust, it’s tough to imagine any greater success on that front as the series progresses.