“He played his b**t off” - Giannis Antetokounmpo says nobody deserves the finals MVP trophy more than Steph Curry, says he didn’t watch the finals because he gets nervous watching basketball
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks exited the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. They suffered a loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks were without Khris Middleton, who sustained an injury in game two of the first-round series against the Chicago Bulls. They had to go through the rest of the series without him, with the team relying entirely on Antetokounmpo.
On the "Renaissance Man" podcast with former NBA player Jalen Rose, Antetokounmpo revealed that he had stopped watching basketball as he was usually nervous. As such, the two-time MVP did not watch the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.
When people doubt you, prove them wrong. 💯
@Giannis_An34 talks about watching his story in “RISE” and what it’s like as an underdog #RenaissanceMan
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He, however, congratulated the Warriors, stating that they had "worked extremely hard and played through adversity."
He also commended Steph Curry, agreeing that no one else deserved the NBA Finals MVP award, as the four-time NBA champion played his "butt" off.
"Congrats to them," Antetokounmpo said. "They worked extremely hard, played through adversity. They've been together ten years, they've had a great decade, it's unbelievable. And Steph Curry, there's no better person in the world right now that deserves the trophy more than him. He played his butt off and I'm happy for them."
Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the Milwaukee Bucks have another opportunity to be great in the 2022-23 NBA season
The Milwaukee Bucks were favorites to win the 2022 NBA championship before Khris Middleton suffered an injury. Giannis Antetokounmpo kept the team in the playoffs for as long as he could hold off.
Out of the twelve games played in the playoffs, the six-time All-Star scored more than 30 points in seven games. He led the playoffs in points per game, averaging 31.7 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 31.7 PPG, 14.2 RPG and 6.8 APG in the playoffs.
He is the first player in NBA history with 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a single series. https://t.co/NMo7FGdbfC
While he acknowledged the pain of losing Middleton, which hampered their goal of going all the way. He strongly believes they stand a good chance of being great next season if they stay healthy.
"But obviously we still have that little bit of pain knowing that if Khris played, we'd have probably be there," Antetokounmpo stated. "But at the end of the day, that's life... Next year we've another opportunity to be great and hopefully we can stay healthy and be great."