Fifty for Fifty: Giannis’s Ambition
When you want to achieve your goals, you’ll do anything in your power to make sure it happens. Giannis did just that, and it was truly remarkable to watch.
What an NBA Finals. Six games of incredible shot-making, insane defensive sequences, and incredibly loud environments. Much respect to both the Bucks and Suns for providing us with one hell of a series.
The Milwaukee Bucks found themselves down 0-2, but would eventually win four straight en route to the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo put on an absolute clinic with 50 points in game six, he also tallied 14 rebounds & 5 blocks making his presence felt all over the floor. At the beginning of this series, we didn’t even know if Giannis would play after he hyperextended his knee in game 4 of the ECFs against the Hawks.
But he did play and what that showed is the drive and ambition that Giannis has carried with him since he entered the league. After a total collapse in 2019 against the Raptors, and a surprising defeat to the Miami Heat in 2020, Giannis never quit, he continued to chase excellence in a city that gave him a chance when no one else would.
Giannis against Miami: 23.5 PPG, 15.0 RPG & 7.8 APG
Giannis against Brooklyn: 31.9 PPG, 12.9 RPG & 3.6 APG
Giannis against Atlanta: 26.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG & 5.5 APG
Giannis against Phoenix: 35.1 PPG, 13.1 RPG & 5.0 APG
Straight dominance for four straight rounds which was capped off with one of the greatest Finals performances we’ve ever seen. Whether you like it or not, Giannis has proven all of the doubters wrong. He didn’t need to leave Milwaukee to join/create a “superteam” and win a championship and he didn’t need to be a 38% shooter from three either. Giannis is another example of what happens when you put the work in and continue to strive for excellence.
Making the NBA is extremely rare, it’s an opportunity that only a few get to achieve and we as fans forget that. Giannis came over from an entirely different country and has dominated a game on a level we haven’t seen since Shaq. “Hooper” or not, you can’t deny the talent of Giannis any longer. At 6'11", Giannis possesses skills that most modern bigs in the NBA wish they could have, so it’s odd that some will attempt to penalize his greatness because he can’t do some things as great as others, especially when they can’t do the things he can on a consistent basis.
Giannis could go the rest of his career without winning another title and it’s not a damn thing we as fans could tell him.
- NBA champion
- NBA Finals MVP
- 2× NBA Most Valuable Player
- 5× NBA All-Star
- NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 5× All-NBA
He’s the first player in NBA history to have these items on his resume before the age of 27, and he hasn’t even begun to reach his potential as a player yet. What we watched last night, and what we’ll continue to watch for the next 8-10 years is a generational athlete and player dominate the game the only way he can.
Congratulations Giannis, you did it!
