{"id":651,"date":"2025-02-26T07:37:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T05:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/giannisgreekfreak.wordpress.com\/?p=651"},"modified":"2025-02-26T07:37:12","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T05:37:12","slug":"giannis-does-it-again-cost-us-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/2025\/02\/26\/giannis-does-it-again-cost-us-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Giannis does it again (cost us the game)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA\u2019s most well known and loved players, but he\u2019s had too many moments in big games where mistakes impacted the Milwaukee Bucks\u2019 chances of winning. Pinpointing specific errors that definitively \u201ccost\u201d a game can be tricky\u2014basketball is a team sport, and outcomes often hinge on collective performance\u2014but there are notable instances in crucial matchups where Giannis\u2019s decisions or miscues played a significant role in a Bucks loss. I did a different blog post with the stats (check it out here<\/a>) but I thought I should remind you all of some stand out dumb plays which are characteristic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tonight was a characteristic example. With the Bucks down 104-103 and 30 seconds left, Giannis fouled Alperen Sengun in the backcourt\u2014an unnecessary play given the situation. Sengun made both free throws, pushing the lead to three, and Houston held on to win 106-103. Giannis had 34 points and 14 rebounds, but that low-IQ foul shifted the game\u2019s outcome, as the Bucks couldn\u2019t recover. It was a pivotal mistake, reflecting fan frustration with his decision-making in crunch time. Because he does it all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One glaring example comes from the 2023 playoffs, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Miami Heat. The Bucks, up 3-1 in the series, lost 128-126 in overtime at home, getting eliminated by the 8th-seeded Heat. Giannis struggled at the free-throw line, going 10-for-23 for the game. In the clutch, with the Bucks down by two in the final seconds of regulation, he missed two free throws that could have tied it up. Miami\u2019s Jimmy Butler then forced OT with a buzzer-beater. Giannis finished with 38 points and 20 rebounds, but those misses\u2014especially given his season-long 64.5% free-throw shooting\u2014shifted momentum and left the Bucks vulnerable. The Heat sealed the upset, and Giannis\u2019s free-throw woes were a key talking point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another instance is from the 2020 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 4 against the Heat. The Bucks were down 2-1 in the series, and this game was pivotal to avoid a 3-1 hole. Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tight, Giannis committed an offensive foul by charging into a defender while driving to the basket. He finished with 19 points before exiting early due to an ankle injury, but that foul\u2014his fifth\u2014sapped Milwaukee\u2019s momentum at a critical juncture. The Heat won 115-104, taking a commanding series lead. Miami\u2019s defensive scheme, often called the \u201cwall,\u201d baited Giannis into physical drives, and his decision to barrel through rather than pass or pull up was a costly misjudgment. The Bucks lost the series in five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, Game 4 versus the Toronto Raptors, Giannis\u2019s play contributed to a turning point in the series. Milwaukee led 2-1, but Toronto stormed back to win 120-102. Giannis scored 12 points on 5-for-16 shooting and fouled out with over seven minutes left after picking up his sixth foul on a questionable defensive reach. His absence down the stretch let Toronto pull away. He also turned the ball over seven times, including sloppy passes under pressure from Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors\u2019 swarming defense. The Bucks dropped the next two games, and the series slipped away. Giannis\u2019s inability to stay disciplined and on the floor was a factor in squandering their lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, in the 2021 NBA Finals, Game 5 against the Phoenix Suns\u2014while the Bucks ultimately won the title\u2014Giannis nearly cost them a crucial win. Up 3-1 in the series, Milwaukee led 108-107 with under a minute left. Giannis, guarding Devin Booker, overcommitted on a pump fake, fouling Booker and sending him to the line. Booker made both free throws, giving Phoenix a 109-108 lead. Giannis redeemed himself with a block on Deandre Ayton seconds later, preserving a 123-119 victory, but that defensive lapse could\u2019ve swung the game and the series momentum. It\u2019s a rare Finals example where his error didn\u2019t fully cost them, but it teetered on the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These moments\u2014free-throw misses, offensive fouls, turnovers, and poor defensive decisions\u2014showcase recurring themes in Giannis\u2019s game: occasional recklessness driving to the rim, struggles with free throws in clutch spots, and lapses in discipline under pressure. Context matters\u2014teammate injuries, coaching decisions, and opponents\u2019 brilliance (like Butler\u2019s 2023 heroics)\u2014also shaped these outcomes. Most Bucks’ fans use them to excuse Giannis. But in these high-stakes games, Giannis\u2019s miscues were the real difference-makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone acts as if he is improving. He isn’t. If anything the difference between what Giannis thinks<\/em> he can do and reality now has an even bigger gap. Doc Rivers knows and tries to keep him out. But he still finds a way to mess up high pressure games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is his box score<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, as usual. Basically only stat padding defensive rebounds. As usual the wasted 3 point attempt. And particularly bad shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA\u2019s most well known and loved players, but he\u2019s had too many moments in big games where mistakes impacted the Milwaukee Bucks\u2019 chances of winning. Pinpointing specific errors that definitively \u201ccost\u201d a game can be tricky\u2014basketball is a team sport, and outcomes often hinge on collective performance\u2014but there are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[20,24,35,68,82,85,93,110,120],"class_list":["post-651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-postgameeval","tag-basketball","tag-boston-celtics","tag-clutch","tag-intensity","tag-milwaukee-bucks","tag-mistakes","tag-nba","tag-rockets","tag-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/giannis-sucks-in-clutch-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekinter.net\/giannis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}