Giannis Antetokounmpo: Why this year will be different against Miami Heat
By Michael Wood
After two straight years of stinging playoff defeats, Giannis Antetokounmpo has plenty of motivation to right his own playoff disappointments.
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar has climbed to the mountain top as the reigning, back-to-back Most Valuable Player. Yet for all of his greatness, Antetokounmpo has not yet shown what he has needed to prove to lead the Bucks through the postseason and to their first trip to the NBA Finals in 47 years and counting.
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Obviously, last season’s bubble playoffs did not go well for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks organization, even it was far from an ideal situation as they struggled throughout their time in the bubble. Still, being unexpectedly bumped out of the Conference Semifinals by the Miami Heat, the team went into the offseason realizing changes had to be made after two disappointing playoff performances.
New players were brought in like Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, Bryn Forbes and eventually, P.J. Tucker. Bucks head coach Budenholzer attempted different offensive and defensive strategies throughout the regular season. Both acquisitions of new players as well as jettisoning miscast pieces and experimenting with new schemes were made in order to prepare this team for what begins Saturday afternoon at Fiserv Forum.
Yet for all of the personnel and schematic changes the Bucks have made this season, the most significant even that happened before the season began was Antetokounmpo re-upping with the Bucks on his supermax extension. Now, armed with a new contract and officially a fixture for the Bucks for the foreseeable future, Antetokounmpo has to prove why this time will be different.
Giannis Antetokounmpo holds the keys to the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff success
All of this begs the question of why this year will be different for Antetokounmpo and obviously the Bucks as a whole. Especially as the Heat stand between the Bucks and advancing further into the NBA Playoffs, the same Miami side that stymied Antetokounmpo all series during last year before his sprained ankle suffered in Game 4 of that series prematurely ended the 26-year-old’s season.
If last year was not the time, why will it be this year against the Heat?
For one, Antetokounmpo has added the necessary counters to overcome his long range shooting deficiencies and his usage without the ball in his hands has only heightened his scoring effectiveness. Antetokounmpo no longer primarily tries to barrel into a crowd of defenders when getting to the rim and it’s helped cut down on his offensive fouls.
Antetokounmpo is used to being the one being used strategically to get shooters open and now the same rings true for the MVP as he feasts on even more easier scoring opportunities. There’s no question, though, that the Heat will put that to the test over this series.
Secondly, Antetokounmpo’s free throw shooting improvements have been noticeable as he finished the regular season going 68.5 percent from the foul line. That’s up from the 63.3 percent he shot for the 2019-20 season and 58 percent during last year’s postseason.
No longer does Antetokounmpo wilt away in his confidence when faced with a crucial pair of free throws, thanks to the more consistent routine that he has held to throughout the year. And again, Miami and any and all of the Bucks’ playoff opponents will test how real his in-season improvements are from the free throw line when it matters most.
But for all of the focus on how the Heat will look to stymie Antetokounmpo yet again, they don’t have the same pieces that bottled up the Greek Freak down in Orlando. The most notable absence the Heat have struggled to address is Jae Crowder.
While Bam Adebayo will surely man the middle and wall off the basket to Antetokounmpo, Crowder was incredibly influential in shutting down Antetokounmpo in getting to his favored spots on the floor. The Heat will ask plenty of Trevor Ariza to do what Crowder did as well as Adebayo, but Antetokounmpo comes into the series with the experience of going up against the Heat’s defensive pressure.
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This year should be different against this Miami Heat team for Giannis Antetokounmpo. This year the Bucks will get to play at home in front of fans and have home court advantage. Let’s try again, but with smaller emphasis: Now is the time for Giannis to lead his team past the Heat and to the Conference Semifinals.