The long summer is over for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece, with the Greek Freak completing a lifelong goal of leading his nation to an international medal. A nerve-racking bronze medal game ended with the Milwaukee Bucks star nailing a pair of clutch free throws to secure a 92-89 win over Finland, earning Greece their first FIBA medal since 2009.
After a dismal performance in the semifinal defeat to Turkey, Greece needed to put on a good display in the third-place match. They led by as many as 17, but Lauri Markkanen and Finland wouldn't go away. Giannis finished the game with 30 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks on 9-of-11 (82 percent) shooting, hitting 12-of-16 (75 percent) of his free throws.
Giannis finally completes ultimate goal with Greece
After the game, Giannis said, "That medal is the biggest success of my life," per Harris Stavrou. This shows just how big a goal it has been for Giannis to represent his national team, with this result triumphing his multiple MVP awards and even the 2021 Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Giannis has been dominant throughout EuroBasket and will no doubt be on the All-Tournament First Team. His 30 points led the way in the win over Finland, with Tyler Dorsey adding 20 and Vasileios Toliopoulos scoring 15 points. Both players contributed much-needed perimeter scoring for Greece throughout the tournament.
Giannis and Greece got off to a hot start, with him firing a pass across the court for a wide-open Dorsey three to start the game, showing off the passing and court vision that Alperen Sengun deemed poor a few days prior. Two possessions later and Giannis got out of a double team for a hockey assist that once again created a 3-pointer for Dorsey.
A pair of blocks and physical offense in the paint from Giannis opened up a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was the same, with Finland struggling with the aggression and physicality of Greece. Despite sending more double teams his way, Giannis showed off his much-improved mid-range and post-up game.
Greece went into halftime, 14 points ahead, thanks to a converted and-one by Toliopoulos. Giannis ended the half with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals, to the delight of Veronica, Mariah, and Giannis's sons, who were cheering on the three Antetokounmpo brothers.
Finland had been the fairytale story of EuroBasket, knocking out Nikola Jokic's Serbia and making it all the way to the semifinals. They made a good run to start the third, closing the gap to just six points, but once again, they had no answer for Giannis when he got going in transition.
Similar to previous games in the tournament, Greece were really struggling to see the game out, making poor decisions and continually allowing Finland back into the game. A poor fourth quarter from Greece allowed Finland to chip away at the lead, with Olivier Nkamhoua and Markkanen's 3-pointers making it a four-point game with less than a minute to play.
With five seconds remaining and Greece's lead cut to three, Kostas Papanikolaou fouled Elias Valtonen on a 3-point attempt, with the Finn missing his third attempt. Giannis was fouled on the rebound and then exorcised the demons of his early career. Making both free throws to end the game and win the Bronze medal for Greece.
It has always been a goal of Giannis' to take his national team back to the promised land of winning a medal, and he has done just that. His leadership has stood out all tournament long, earning praise from all areas of the Greek national team.
It is just another accolade to add to Giannis' long and distinguished resume. Huge congratulations to him, Thanasis, Kostas, and all of the Greece team for their achievements this summer.