"Giannis f**ked y'all up then" - Ex-Warriors makes major claim about Giannis Antetokounmpo's potential pairing up with Jimmy Butler or Bradley Beal
A new superteam could be forming in the Eastern Conference involving Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks, who already have a dynamic All-Star pairing with Giannis and Damian Lillard, are being touted as a potential destination for either Jimmy Butler or Bradley Beal.
If either of these stars lands in Milwaukee, former Golden State Warriors point guard Gilbert Arenas believes the Bucks will win the East. Yes, that also includes beating the defending champion Boston Celtics, who have one of the deepest rosters.
Arenas explained the reason behind his thinking on the "Gil's Arena" episode streamed on Wednesday.
"If you get Jimmy Butler or Bradley Beal, I'm taking Bucks (over the Celtics)," Arenas said. "The reason is this, the x-factor is Giannis. Giannis don't play that game. Y'all have a series where you shoot 12 for f***ing 52, Giannis f***ed y'all up then. Because he ain't taking threes no more. He's posting up and getting to that free throw line. So a guy who's shooting about 68 from the two, you can't have one of those nights against them. If you're shooting 50 something threes against Giannis, you better be stopping him." (55:44-56:28)
This season, the Boston Celtics are averaging a league-leading 49.0% from the 3-point line. However, they are only 14th in makes, having sank 36.4% of their attempts thus far. As for the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has made 61.8% of his shots inside the arc, averaging 20.0 attempts per contest.
The Bucks can land either Butler or Beal but will reportedly have to give up Khris Middleton as well as Bobby Portis to get the deal done.
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The Boston Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's strong performances
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics could both end up having deep playoff runs, and if their season series is any indication, the Celtics have the upper hand.
The Celtics and the Bucks were scheduled to battle each other three times this season. The first was on Oct. 28, then again on Nov. 10 and finally on Dec. 6. In all three matchups, the Celtics prevailed.
The first game had a final score of 119-108. The second and third were both decided by a six-point margin, with the Celtics winning 113-107 in November and 111-105 in December.
In each of these losses, Giannis Antetokounmpo put on monster performances. In the first game, he posted 30 points,10 rebounds and six assists. In November, he scored 43 points, grabbed 13 boards, dished five assists, and blocked two shots.
Finally, in December, he registered a double-double with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
Another common thread in these games is Boston's willingness to launch the 3-point shot. In the first game, the Celtics went 18-for-47 from downtown while the Bucks went 8-for-31. In the second one, Boston attempted 50 and made 19, while Milwaukee went 13-for-32. In the final game, Giannis Antetokounmpo and company went 11-for-29, while the Celtics had 17-for-53.
While the Bucks could not figure out the Celtics in the regular season, the addition of either Jimmy Butler or Bradley Beal could affect their matchup.