If the Milwaukee Bucks are going to win the NBA finals, Giannis will not only need to play, but he’ll need to be ‘Giannis’.
The emotional uplift when Trae Young took the floor for the Hawks in game-six of the eastern conference finals was palpable inside the arena in Atlanta. Young’s performance, left plenty to be desired: 4-17 from the field, 0-6 from three-point land.
Giannis cannot be a decoy on the floor. He attacks and plays with reckless abandon. He only has one speed. It’s all or nothing when Giannis plays.
If hobbled by a knee injury, what will that mean for Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday? Will they sit and wait for Giannis to make his move with four seconds left on the shot clock, or will Giannis be forced to defer.
A 100% ready-to-go Giannis makes the NBA Finals all the more compelling. Giannis on the floor could provide an emotional boost to the home crowd in games three and four, but if he’s a shell of his former self, the Phoenix Suns will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
