Giannis Targets League Title After Leading Bucks To NBA Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo is targeting the NBA league title after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Cup.
He delivered a stunning performance to lead the Bucks to a 97-81 over Oklahoma City Thunder at the T-Mobile Arena.
Antetokounmpo registered 26 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists before being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The 30-year-old has now set his sights on winning the NBA title at the end of the season, while showering praises on his teammates.
He said: “I am so proud of this group. Man… I am so proud of this group.
“Coming out of half time, we knew we had 24 minutes to go. We came out and in the third quarter we set the tone, we played great team basketball moving the ball. Guys were making shots but more importantly, we competed defensively as OKC only scored 14 points (in the period). That’s who we are. That’s who we’ll continue to be.
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“We just had to come together. There has been a lot of criticism. People were talking about the team that we were not, but we knew who we were coming out of the training camp. We just had to trust each other, look within, and come up together. And when you continue to fight and stay together, you can experience this type of thing (winning the NBA Cup)
Giannis was impressive for the Bucks with a triple-double — 26 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists — that included three blocks and a pair of steals, which earned him the MVP of the competition.
He said: “When you approach a game like this, you’re not thinking about MVPs. You’re thinking about trying to win the game.
“And sometimes when you try to do whatever it takes, you put yourself in position to be successful and you’re able to get a trophy like that.
“I don’t know why I got the MVP. I’m happy that I got it. I don’t take it for granted. I’m most happy we got to win the game. Some of my teammates got life-changing money.”
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Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said the win serves as a reminder that they can beat any team.
He said: “I think it reminds us that we can beat anybody. We don’t care if it tells everybody else that. We only care about us.
“We can also lose to anybody if we don’t play right. We learned that early (in the season); it helps the message. It is a teacher for us. There are different ways to win.”
Members of the winning team each got approximately $514,000 for the title game.