Giannis Might Be The Most Likeable Superstar Ever
The greater you are, the better you are, the more hate you get. LeBron has been hyped up since he was 15, and as he has lived up to the hype, the more you see critics come out of their shells. Look at Steph, who no one really had a problem with before 2015, but with two MVPs and three rings, and hundreds of shimmies and staredowns and general cockiness here and there, he has picked up some haters along the way. Guys like Kawhi Leonard or Tim Duncan aren’t really hated, but their personalities don’t exactly draw you in.
I find it difficult not to love Giannis — not his playstyle, per say, but his personality. Of course, when one’s game revolves around athleticism, it doesn’t always make for the most aesthetically pleasing basketball. But it’s all the little things about Giannis that make me want to root for him.
His indifferent attitude towards the last play is showcased in his jump shooting. Giannis airballed two free throws in a row? Next play, you can probably bet he is going to charge down the court, get to the rim, and try to make his way back to the line. Giannis just airballed a three? He might come down and shoot another one, and this all stems from Giannis’ untroubled attitude towards humiliation. Ben Simmons won’t even take an open layup on Trae Young in the fourth quarter of a Game 7 because he doesn’t believe in himself and fears the aftermath.
And Giannis does all the right things. His answers to reporter’s questions are great; he isn’t standoffish like Gregg Poppovich or extremely politically correct like LeBron. He shows respect to both the past and current generations, and he will call it like he sees it. This season, he called both LeBron and KD the best players in the world (at separate times of course). That superstar mentality is also clearly there for Giannis; he has become better every season. This skinny kid from Greece has mutated into this MVP level talent, and is now stronger, quicker, smarter, a better defender, better playmaker, and even a better free throw shooter (with extremely underrated footwork). Who knows what this dude will look like in 5 years?
Jrue-Pat-Bobby Minutes
The Bucks went down 16 to end the first quarter, and it looked like the trend of the home team winning was set to continue. But hold the phone, here comes a Jrue Holiday, Pat Connaughton, and Bobby Portis lineup, and BOOM, suddenly the Bucks are right back in it — no Giannis on the floor. This allowed Giannis for almost SIX STRAIGHT MINUTES of rest…in a pivotal FINALS game. Lebron probably couldn’t understand what he was seeing while sitting courtside (might have been because of his personalized tequila that he was keeping under his seat).
Jrue Holiday had probably the best game of his career, and the second quarter, in which he dropped 14 points on 6-7 shooting, was probably the best quarter of basketball he has ever played. He spearheaded this second quarter spurt that put the Bucks back in the game as Giannis was about to check in. Something interesting to keep in mind, Jrue made the first shot he took in Game 5, a pull up midrange jumper, on the first possession of the game. After shooting 4-20 in the last game, it had to be a huge confidence booster to make his first shot of the game.
Some unsung heroes for the Bucks, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton. The Bucks bench has been their Achilles heel all season, so much so that even 23 points between the two can tilt the game. The duo hit six threes between basically the only two bench players that see legitimate minutes, three of them coming in that second quarter surge.
The Suns will win Game 6
I believe this series was destined to go 7 games. Nothing I saw from the Suns in Game 5 told me they were playing outside themselves. Ayton and CP got their double-doubles, Book got his 40-piece off, but ultimately, Giannis, Middleton, and Jrue each getting 30 was too much to overcome. I feel as though I can count on the Suns Big 3 getting their numbers with their backs against the wall, extreme desperation running through their heads.
Chris Paul will be better in Game 6. He was actually pretty good in Game 5 — 21 points, 11 assists, 9-15 from the field, just one turnover. It was a typical Chris Paul game, but he just didn’t have that impact on the game that we are used to seeing. There weren’t many moments from a fans perspective of, “Wow, CP is dominating this game.” I think Game 6 is a close game, but Chris Paul has a legacy game to gift us all a Game 7.
Bonus: Jrue Holiday and the Art of Point-of-Attack Defense
Any young hooper should be studying Jrue Holiday’s defensive tape. As basketball fans, we have been blessed with at least six games of Chris Paul vs Jrue Holiday. The Point God, with his ability to never be rushed, always at his own pace, always controlled, matched up with the feisty, freakishly strong Holiday, who’s low center of gravity allows for him to never be off balance, always in control of his own body. My favorite part of this series is watching Chris Paul bring the ball up, with Jrue picking him up at 3/4th’s court. It’s a chess match in it’s own way, each waiting for the other to lose focus for a single second before pouncing on their prey. Jrue’s ability to keep the offensive player in front of him and deny the point of attack is what makes him the best perimeter defender in the league.
And some of the association’s greatest superstars concur:
Hoops From The Stands 