"Their vibe either directly or indirectly was, ‘I never wanna see that motherf**ker again’" - Zach Lowe believes a hungrier version of Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out for blood in 2022-23 season
Against the Boston Celtics’ top-ranked defense, Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly dragged the Milwaukee Bucks over the finish line. Several NBA analysts claimed that had the Bucks been complete, they would have been back-to-back champions.
Boston eliminated the Bucks, but not without a big scare from Antetokounmpo. ESPN’s Zach Lowe is convinced that after failing last season, the two-time MVP will be raring to get back to the top of the NBA. On "The Bill Simmons Podcast," Lowe said:
“I was around the Celtics a lot late in the playoffs. And when that series ended, to a man at least to those I talked to, their vibe either directly or indirectly was, ‘I never wanna see that motherf**ker again,’ about Giannis.
"‘I’m so wounded from just facing that guy mentally and physically for seven straight games. I think Giannis is just coming back hungry. I think he’s coming to kill everybody this year.”
New BS Podcast: Old friend @ZachLowe_NBA and I play a heated game of “Are We Sure…?” with 2022-23 NBA storylines.
Not covered: Judge still being 11 away from Bonds.
open.spotify.com/episode/5hnBmg…
ESPN recently released its list of top 100 players for the 2022-23 season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was overwhelmingly voted the best of the best. Former player and analyst Kendrick Perkins went as far as to say that “The Greek Freak” has achieved that status over the last three years.
The Celtics weren’t the only ones who thought they had just battled arguably the NBA’s most imposing interior scorer and its best two-way player.
Introducing the NBArank top 5️⃣
More from our experts: es.pn/3R1gzJu https://t.co/qrp0krZrKx
The NBA also released its annual GM survey to get a feel for the landscape. The Milwaukee Bucks (43%) were voted as the most likely team to win the 2023 NBA championship. This is obviously because of the Greek superstar who had an incredible campaign at the recently concluded EuroBasket tournament.
For individual awards, the GMs named Giannis Antetokounmpo as having the second-best chance to win his third MVP behind Luka Doncic. However, when the poll asked the participants who they prefer to build a franchise around, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar was the overwhelming winner (55%).
Skills aren’t enough to dominate in the NBA, according to Giannis Antetokounmpo
Zach Lowe said that Giannis Antetokounmpo will "kill everybody" next season. In an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, the Bucks superstar thoroughly elaborated on what has made him elite. Giannis said:
"I’m not the most skillful, I don’t have the best shot, I don’t have the best dribble. I believe I’m a very good passer, I think that’s my number one talent. But the thing that makes me a step further than people is the obsession and the discipline towards the game, not my skills."
Giannis gives us the key to what really makes players like these great…and it’s not “skill”
@thefrankisola | @scalabrine | @Giannis_An34 https://t.co/gZurBBSZyl
Prior to his explanation, he mentioned LeBron James for his consistency and both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant for having that obsession.
Giannis Antetokounmpo with a workout video narrated by Kobe Bryant 🔥
Year 10 is going to be special
(h/t @LakersDailyCom )
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The Bucks have retooled and if they’re healthy, nobody would want to match up against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.