As game four of the NBA Finals approaches the names of the Finals MVP contenders are starting to narrow down. Giannis has of course put on the most dominant performance through three games, but his Bucks still trail to the likes of Chris Paul's and Devin Booker's Suns. Obviously the finals MVP will come from the winning team of the series, which is why it could be a bit of a bolder take to pick Giannis at this point, but here's why.
To start the numbers do not lie. Giannis is averaging 34.3 ppg, 14 rpg, and 4.7 apg. He leads the series in total points and total rebounds, as well as averaging over a steal and a block per game. His stats have proved him to be the most dominant player in the series, and arguably most impactful as well. While Chris Paul's leadership certainly has proved to be immeasurable throughout this playoff run, just think of the defensive focus and pressure that has to be applied to even attempt to slow Giannis down.
This leads into my next point, being the fact that he's just a matchup nightmare. He's too fast to be covered by a center, too strong to be covered by a forward, and simply way too tall for a guard to slow him down. He can bully almost any player in a one on one matchup, and slow and steady is starting to figure out how to shoot the ball. The Superman comparisons that even Shaq himself have made are remarkably true. The Greek Freak is the most physically dominant player in the NBA right now, and his performance in the finals thus far has put that on full display.
Now where could I be wrong? The Bucks still have quite the journey in front of them. If they lose this game at home tonight they are forced to go back to Phoenix down 3-1 for game five. Very tough odds to beat, but certainly not impossible as we saw five years ago in the finals. If the Bucks can't win this series it may be important to also look at Giannis' free throw percentage. He's currently shooting 66 percent from the line in the series, but if that number plummets He'd be costing his team a valuable number of points. Free throws have been his kryptonite for a while now, but being able to hit them in the clutch could help his case quite a bit.
The Bucks have the momentum on their side to even this series at two games a piece, and you can bet Giannis is ready to do his part to make that happen. If the Bucks want to win the series Giannis will have to continue to be dominant in each and every game, and I have faith that this is finally the year of the Buck.
As game four of the NBA Finals approaches the names of the Finals MVP contenders are starting to narrow down. Giannis has of course put on the most dominant performance through three games, but his Bucks still trail to the likes of Chris Paul's and Devin Booker's Suns. Obviously the finals MVP will come from the winning team of the series, which is why it could be a bit of a bolder take to pick Giannis at this point, but here's why.
To start the numbers do not lie. Giannis is averaging 34.3 ppg, 14 rpg, and 4.7 apg. He leads the series in total points and total rebounds, as well as averaging over a steal and a block per game. His stats have proved him to be the most dominant player in the series, and arguably most impactful as well. While Chris Paul's leadership certainly has proved to be immeasurable throughout this playoff run, just think of the defensive focus and pressure that has to be applied to even attempt to slow Giannis down.
This leads into my next point, being the fact that he's just a matchup nightmare. He's too fast to be covered by a center, too strong to be covered by a forward, and simply way too tall for a guard to slow him down. He can bully almost any player in a one on one matchup, and slow and steady is starting to figure out how to shoot the ball. The Superman comparisons that even Shaq himself have made are remarkably true. The Greek Freak is the most physically dominant player in the NBA right now, and his performance in the finals thus far has put that on full display.
Now where could I be wrong? The Bucks still have quite the journey in front of them. If they lose this game at home tonight they are forced to go back to Phoenix down 3-1 for game five. Very tough odds to beat, but certainly not impossible as we saw five years ago in the finals. If the Bucks can't win this series it may be important to also look at Giannis' free throw percentage. He's currently shooting 66 percent from the line in the series, but if that number plummets He'd be costing his team a valuable number of points. Free throws have been his kryptonite for a while now, but being able to hit them in the clutch could help his case quite a bit.
The Bucks have the momentum on their side to even this series at two games a piece, and you can bet Giannis is ready to do his part to make that happen. If the Bucks want to win the series Giannis will have to continue to be dominant in each and every game, and I have faith that this is finally the year of the Buck.
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