Shepherding the Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the left block, his back to the basket. He had the ball with 2:28 to go in the match, and he looked left to survey the court. The Hornets, whose buoyant play to that point had the 19,149-strong Spectrum Center crowd pumped, were just three down following a P.J. Washington dunk, and he needed to manufacture points to keep them at bay. Seeing tight coverage, he decided to go for the best option: himself. He dribbled once to get closer to the paint, and then made a quick pirouette to the baseline to set up an arching fadeaway. The nine-footer, launched high to clear the outstretched arms of Miles Bridges, was money. It hit the bottom of the net, giving the Bucks some much-needed cushion against the hosts.
The Bucks would go on to win yesterday’s set-to, but not before taking the full measure of the overachieving Hornets. Certainly, they needed every bit of the effort Antetokounmpo put up in 35 minutes of play. He didn’t post a game-high plus-22 rating for nothing, and his aggregate stat line was the first to top 40-20-5 for the franchise since living legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it in 1974. Indeed, he was that special, and he needed to be in order for them to claim their sixth straight and 11th triumph of their last 12 outings. With fellow All-Star Khris Middleton still sidelined due to a neck injury, he gladly took on a more active role on offense, and he delivered.
Although the regular season still has a quarter’s worth of contests left to play, Antetokounmpo’s stellar showing has him way ahead of the competition for the Most Valuable Player award. It’s telling that he’s even better — make that much better — since he claimed it last year, and that the Bucks have approximated his dominance throughout. They’re on pace for 70 wins, running roughshod over any and all opposition. And so good have they been that the Lakers, who would have otherwise hogged headlines for pacing the West with All-World LeBron James at the helm, remain consigned to second-fiddle status.
At this point, there’s only one thing left for Antetokounmpo to prove: that he has the resolve to shepherd the Bucks to the championship. Thwarted by the Raptors in the East Finals last year, he claims he has learned from his lesson and will act accordingly. And, at the rate he’s going, who’s to say he’s wrong in his contention?
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.