Giannis Antetokounmpo is on fire!
Last night it’s like all the Greek gods had fallen on the poor Indiana Pacers. Highest in career 64 points (14 rebounds and 11 assists), shooting from the field with almost mystical percentages, bordering on irreverence for the amount of game he played (20 baskets on 28 shots). Giannis Antetokounmpo reminded everyone why the nickname The Greek Freak it does not describe (just) one unusual physical specimen, but one playing style made of technique, movements, and solutions previously unthinkable for an almost 7-footer. At one point, on a pocket pass from “Demon” Lillard, he veered to the right pivot (for a two-handed dunk) so quickly that he almost reversed the rotation of the earth. There NBA it’s full of big men who know how to put the ball on the ground. Karl-Anthony TownsPorzingis, also the same Embiid can dribble fluidly for a center. In the past, people like Vin BakerDerrick Coleman that Kevin Garnett they could very well start off the dribble and not stop the ball with the man on them, looking for the dribble. It’s not trivial, for such tall people. It requires coordination, speed of hands and feet, control of the ball, but also the ability to cover the ball with the body from the defender’s hands. Patrick Ewing – to cite a negative example – it was one of the strongest centers in history. Perhaps the sweetest hand in the role, when receiving on the elbow he was virtually unstoppable. But at 2.15, when Ewing tried to dribble, at least he gave the ball to one knee. Giannis, on the other hand… well Giannis is different. The Greek Monster is a real 2.11 setter. He doesn’t just know how to simply put the ball on the ground.
Where is the difference? It lies in ball-handling at speed, both in the central and lateral lane. He is able to handle the ball with both hands even when pressed. He is in the changes of hands in traffic. In the refinement of the back. He is in the stop-and-go, in the variations of rhythm, in the all-round changes of speed. A true setter he knows how to pick up the dribble and find the right coordination to pass to his teammate. The effectiveness of his game, his passing ability, his coast-to-coast moves and his third-half attacks from midfield come from there. Then there’s his killer-application: speed in footwork, ability to manage steps in traffic. Pay attention, in penetration he always knows where to put his feet, when to shorten or lengthen his step based on the defender’s movements, when to do a Euro-step, when to stop in two-steps. This gift, combined with those endless arms, that body and that approaching touch, represent a puzzle for every defense. Of course, improvements to his outside shooting are not on the horizon, because 22.5% from beyond the arc is at the limits of decency. However, he scores 32 points per game, averages almost 11 rebounds, topped off with 1.3 blocks, with a natural candidacy for MVP (it would be the second), with the Milwaukee Bucks who are second in the East and close behind the Celtics. Then there would be what happened immediately after the final siren: the Greek running into the locker rooms to recover the record ballthe melee with the opposing players, the “call” of his teammates to go and take the ball from the hands of the opponents who wanted to reserve it for one of their teammates for the first point scored in the league. This, here, much less MVP-like.
Klay Thompson, are you going via San Francisco?
According to some rumors – filmed in the USA this week – Klay Thompson seems to have rejected a contract extension from the team at the beginning of the season Golden State Warriors 48 million dollars for two years. They say, the same voices, that currently there is no agreement for the renewal of one of the most important players in franchise history. It seems incredible, if you think about what Klay is Steph Curry combined (4 NBA titles and some of the most exciting shooting performances of all time). Beyond this, it is good to make some fixed points. We are talking about a player who – at the peak of his career – was one of the best shooters in spot-ups ever. The more you watch Klay’s shooting technique, the more you think you can imitate it. Stigmata of the best. In reality, it is of extraordinary complexity and balance. It all comes from small things. From the feet, for example scientifically positioned towards the basket and always at a wide distance between them both in pull-up jumpers and in catch-and-shoot (many players instead reduce the distance of their feet when shooting from the dribble). Then there is the perfect alignment of the shoulders, elbows and wrists, whose joints move in unison even before the feet leave the ground for suspension. Finally, Klay places his strong-hand elbow aligned to the millimeter with the basket to balance the direction of the shot (with the elbow too far outwards, the shot will tend to the left; with the elbow towards the inside, the opposite). We’re talking about a “killer” who was able to make 14 three-pointers in just one game. What did he put in? 37 in just one quarter of the game (that would be a lot of points even for an entire match). Of course, it’s blind not to see it, Thompson is playing his game worst basketball in career. How come? Three elements: crusader in 2019, Achilles’ heel in 2020, and on vocals “age” it is written 34. These are not trivial things. It’s clear on the field. He has lost lateral mobility in defense (he was considered an excellent stopper). He seems to have less strength in his legs when he has to prepare the shot. He began to suffer from bad evenings mentally, starting to select his conclusions poorly and making things even worse. The figures do not do him justice: 16 points per game with a paltry 40.7% from the field and just over 36% from three (career low). The Warriors suffer from this and are at 41% victories on the season. There are those who swear that in the end, he will stay in San Francisco after all. We will see.
That’s all Folks!
To next week.
2023-12-15 15:50:41
#NBA #Freestyle #Antetokounmpo #rise #fall #Greek #God #Indiana #Pacers
