"Giving me that LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers vibes" - Kendrick Perkins boldly compares former DPOY to prime LeBron James
Kendrick Perkins compared Giannis Antetokounmpo's dominance to that of LeBron James during his Cleveland Cavaliers era. He believes it will be difficult for any team in the East to dethrone Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, stating:
"Right now, Giannis Antetokounmpo is giving me that LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers vibe, meaning, any team that's trying to come out of the Eastern Conference, I think Giannis is going to be standing in their way.... I'm actually afraid of this beast, this killer right here."
Perkins was also concerned that the Boston Celtics failed to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo, despite being well aware of his skill set. He said:
"Here's the part that's concerning, how are you caught off-guard when you're actually facing the best player in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo? It's no reason to be caught off-guard. You know what to expect out of Giannis."
.@KendrickPerkins says the Celtics are going to be in “big trouble” if Giannis plays how he did last night.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo is giving me that LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers vibes.” https://t.co/xaPlDzqR4n
"Here's the thing about the game last night. Not only did he impose his will and dominate in the paint and he shot nine for 25 from the field, making guys around him better."
The Milwaukee Bucks blew out the Boston Celtics 101-89 on Sunday, handing them their first playoff loss this season. The Celtics got a reality check of what it's like to face someone who is not just skilled, but is also a physical specimen.
Although Giannis didn't shoot well, he covered his scoring lapses through playmaking, defense and rebounding. He posted his second ever postseason triple-double.
Antetokounmpo and James are comparable in terms of size, strength and style of play, but their personalities differ greatly. LeBron James is in the conversation for the greatest player of all-time, but Giannis Antetokounmpo's humility is unmatched.
LeBron James was the best player on the 2016 Cavaliers, but Kyrie Irving was not the second-best, statistically speaking
FiveThirtyEight's ELO rates the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers at 1759, the highest rating of any team LeBron James has played for. FiveThirtyEight's RAPTOR predictably has James as the best player, but surprisingly ranks Kevin Love as the second-best.
In fact, Tristan Thompson and JR Smith were ranked as more valuable to the team at third and fourth than Kyrie Irving, who finished fifth.
Kyrie Irving's fall to fifth position can be justified in two different ways. First, he isn't exactly a great defensive player and RAPTOR factors in both offensive and a defensive rating.
Second, the Cavaliers went up against one of the greatest offensive backcourts in league history. This implies that defense played a much larger role in their victory than pure scoring.