Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal shred Giannis Antetokounmpo as Bucks are sent to Cancun - "You can't miss that many free throws"
Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal showed no mercy to Giannis Antetokounmpo while breaking down the result of Game 5 against the Miami Heat. With Antetokounmpo's poor display at the free throw line being a factor in the Milwaukee Bucks loss, Barkley and Shaq tore into the "Greek Freak".
Giannis had himself an all-time performance in Game 5. With 38 points and 20 rebounds, the Bucks superstar truly shined brightest for his team. Unfortunately, his performance wasn't enough to prevent a 128-126 loss against the Heat in overtime.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo's stats were impressive, there appears to be one glaring flaw in his performance. In a game where the Bucks were awarded 45 free throws, they only scored 28. Of these 45, Giannis was awarded 23. He missed 13 attempts.
Needless to say, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley were well aware of this. While discussing the poor FT shooting performance on 'Inside the NBA', Shaq said: (from 7:44-7:50)
"As a great player, when you miss a lot of free throws, you always got to look at yourself first."
Shaq elaborated on his own experiences with missed free throws and the thought process that followed. He also highlighted how it was careless to take a well-coached team such as the Heat lightly even with a 16-point cushion.
Chuck also chimed in on the topic. While highlighting how well Jimmy Butler was playing, he said: (from 8:51-9:06)
"You can't miss that many free throws and win a close game. I mean, one or two free throws here or there, you expand your lead. But you miss that many free throws in a close game, that's just different."
These missed points could have made the difference in the end. As the Bucks see their postseason run come to an abrupt end, a lot of changes may be in store for the team next season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo comes up short once again
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been tremendous for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. Despite dealing with injuries, Antetokounmpo still managed to play 63 games and looked like an MVP candidate in this span of time.
Giannis notched an average of 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. By doing so, he also led the Bucks to the number one seed in the East. Unfortunately, this meant nothing in the postseason against the Miami Heat.
After getting injured in Game 1 itself, the two-time MVP was sidelined for the next two games. Giannis' return in Game 4 was met with a historic performance by Jimmy Butler. Although the "Greek Freak" had a solid game of his own, Butler looked unstoppable.
The first-round exit marks the second consecutive season without a deep playoff run for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. With the likelihood of some changes on the horizon, we look forward to seeing what's next for the former NBA champions.