Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sure looked like a two-time NBA MVP in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo did nearly everything the Bucks asked of him and more, turning in herculean efforts on a routine basis. For the series, Antetokounmpo averaged an astounding 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.
While it was a hard-fought and physical series with Boston ultimately prevailing, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown had nothing but glowing remarks about what it was like to compete against Antetokounmpo for seven consecutive games.
“Giannis is the best player in the world. You can see why a lot of people say that,” Brown told reporters following Boston’s 109-81 Game 7 victory on Sunday at TD Garden. “He’s just relentless in his approach, he is aggressive all the time and he’s just not going to be denied and that was tough for us.
“This series his level of physicality challenged us all to be disciplined, to match his aggressiveness and it was incredible (what) he was able to do with his team. They’re scoring 90, 100 points and Giannis would have 40 of them in multiple games. That (expletive) is crazy. Giannis is a great player and he knows that. We give respect and credit where credit is due.”
Antetokounmpo also made NBA history by stringing together his stellar performances. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Antetokounmpo became the first player ever with 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a single playoff series.
It’s pretty spectacular the Celtics fended off the Bucks with Antetokounmpo playing the way he did over the course of the seven games.
