Giannis: “The sixth final against Sans was another game for me, it didn’t strengthen my psyche”

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to victory over the Cavaliers (117-102), was unstoppable with 38 points and 9 rebounds and led the NBA top-10. And after the match he started ranting again.

The “Greek Freak” was asked about his improvement in shooting after going 4/15 in the loss to the Sixers a few days ago and stressed that he hasn’t changed but still believes in himself. He then stressed that his mentality had always been the same and that Game 6 of the NBA Finals was against the Suns — where he had 50 points in 17-of-19 shooting and led the Bucks to their first title in 50 years. .. just another game for him, although it marked his career.

Giannis explained in detail:

Whether he changed his shooting routine and improved after his 4/15 against the Sixers: “I haven’t changed anything, the routine is the same: one dribble, I spin the ball, one dribble and I shoot. But how much worse can it get? I just trust myself I believe in myself. There will be days you miss and days you strike. I hope luck is on my side and I will use them if necessary.

I try to learn from my mistakes. I understand that I didn’t shoot well for 2-3 games, but I realized it, I took responsibility for it, because that’s the only way to improve. I work harder, shoot more, before and after the game. When things aren’t going well, I just try to work harder. Sometimes that comes into play and sometimes it doesn’t. But I agree. But my routine is the same and I’ll live with the result.

I can’t control the result, only my technique and how I feel. I believe in myself and my work. There is no fear. I’m not afraid to miss a shot or 4, 6, 10 shots in a row. I go to the basket anyway. I’m not afraid of the line of fire. I’m OK with taking 0/15 shots, I’m OK with failing because that means I’ve tried. I don’t like giving up. I’ll be aggressive, I’ll go to the basket, I’ll go to the shooting line a lot and after that I’ll trust my work.”

Whether Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Suns in 2021 where he had 50 points on 17/19 shooting helped his psychology on the subject of shooting: “No. Game 6 of the Finals was just another game. It was a big game for the organization, for the city of Milwaukee, for my career, but it didn’t change my mentality in that game. This lasted 48 minutes. I have Hours and hours spent in practice or in Greece trying to improve my shot. In that game we had to shoot and score. Luck was on my side and a lot of confidence that I would hit the shots. I took a lot of shots that night , but I didn’t say after that night that I had confidence and now I believe in myself. It was still a game.”

On Evan Mobley, who is more aggressive than usual against the Cavaliers due to Jarrett Allen’s absence: “No, I just wanted to be aggressive and make the right decisions. Obviously you’re going to attack a player, but Mobley and Allen look like players, they’re big, they’re good at blocking, they’re good at moving, so it doesn’t make a difference. If you have the ability to put them in a position where they need to move and follow you in on-screen situations, pick and rolls and handoffs, their job becomes more difficult as they roll both the ball handler and me in the basket and they must mark must make a decision. So I just tried to play good basketball, involve my teammates and be aggressive without focusing on him.”

For the impression Mobley made on him: “Good player. He has a future in the league. He plays well, plays hard, will do everything for his team. For a player of his size, he moves well and has talent. It’s only a matter of time before he has a breakout season and is going to be one of the best power forwards in the league. It’s up to him to work. But the talent and the body is there. He has to work and push through difficulties. He’s got the data. He’s playing well for the Cavs, helps them win and has a bright future ahead of them.”

About Brook Lopez and how his blocks affect the game: “They are great. He was incredible, he plays amazing. His defense is incredible and we need him to keep going like this. It makes our defense better and makes it difficult for all opponents. People are scared to go into the brawl with him there to go. Our guards and peripherals have time to turn around. He’s amazing and sometimes we just say ‘Brooke go and block the shot’ when he’s already made 8 blocks and made it even harder. You get used to that he protects you and you take it for granted but I try not to take it for granted and acknowledge that he works a lot on defense and definitely helps this team be great by keeping our defense at a high level level.”

For a Carter praise on his nail and if they’ve met eyes before, like he does with Middleton: “You don’t just have to trust the other person. In my position, I cannot disappoint him. If a guard throws you the ball while he’s in the middle, you have to grab him and not make a mistake because he’ll lose his trust in you. I just tried to jump up and catch the ball.

Middleton and I obviously have the chemistry because we’ve been together for 10 years, he threw me 300 lobs and I know he’ll throw the ball back to me even if I miss. With Carter I have to keep building our trust, that bond that he knows if he throws the ball to me I’ll do anything to catch him and it was a great pass.

On what the Bucks did differently in the third period when the Bucks broke out: “We haven’t changed anything. To be honest we were just aggressive and made the right decisions and we got lucky with some shots. On defense, Lopez was everywhere. The guards did a great job denying Garland and Mitchell passes but Lopez was incredible, he forced every shot for us, the Cavs didn’t score, we got rebounds, ran the open court and made good decisions, shots and found a rhythm. It all starts with the guard defense in the pick and roll and Lopez marks it all.”

Did he feel anything after his dunk from Carter’s layup that set the pace for him and the Bucks: “No, I was just trying to read the game properly and let my instincts guide me. I found some gaps in the opposing defense that I was able to exploit and design. But I didn’t say that I would start suddenly. I’ve been trying for 48 minutes. But I think just the defensive dynamic that we had, where everyone was hitting and rebounding, opened up lanes for everyone. For me in the open field, for other players in the corner, with Lopez following.”

For a foul by Robin Lopez, but also for temporarily marking him from the middle of the field without letting him get the ball: “When I was 16-17 years old, they tagged me all over the field so I wouldn’t get the ball. That hasn’t happened to me in my career in the NBA. I felt like Steph Curry for a while. I don’t know why he did that but my teammates took advantage of it as suddenly they were playing 4v4 and there was no blocker left.

I was surprised. I looked at the coach and then at my teammates and a referee and wondered what was going on. My team-mates took advantage of that because without Robin Lopez under the basket it was easier for us to attack.”