What is it like to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo play in person?

A thunderous dunk. The roar of the crowd.

An energetic block followed by galloping strides leading to a rim-rocking alley-oop. More unwavering applause.

A post up with a turn around pump fake mixed in with a dribble and two more ridiculously long strides, culminating in a mesmerizing slam in traffic. A standing ovation.

On and on this goes, all night long, with unrelenting energy and beauty…

That, in summary is what it is like to watch the Greek Freak play. (You could call it my “Greek Freak” poem). Giannis, my friends, does not disappoint. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He makes so many enthralling plays that you begin to become numb to the “less exciting” outcomes. Milwaukee is spoiled night in and night out to the point that the fans expect to see something amazing every time Giannis touches the floor. And 99.99% of the time, he delivers.

For a kid raised in a college sports town like me, the idea of watching a budding NBA championship team and an MVP caliber player in a city starved of winning could not be more thrilling. I have been living in Milwaukee for a little over a year now and much to my delight I have witnessed the ferocity of the Greek Freak several different times.

I grew up watching the NBA, MLB, and NFL religiously on TV. Back then, the idea of seeing a live professional sports event was enamoring. Whenever I got to go to one, I was fascinated by it from start to finish. To get to see the players I grew up watching on TV actually in the flesh… the reality of that almost did not compute for me. Luckily in my short life so far I have been blessed to see fmany great players. But we will get to that later.

Now back to Giannis. Since living in Milwaukee, I have attended three Bucks games; most recently on January 5, 2019 when the Raptors came to town. I have to say, I was hyped about going to this game. I had been anticipating for months the prospect of watching the two best teams in the Eastern Conference battle it out. And trust me, it was worth it. The fans provided a playoff-like atmosphere in the beautiful new Bucks arena (see picture below), and there was no shortage of dazzling plays from both teams.

I cannot overstate how I impressed I was with Antetokounmpo. He finished with 43 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 assists against one of the premier defenses in the NBA. There’s no denying that he is a legit star with the capability of leading Milwaukee to a place it has not been to in a long time. But what is more impressive to me is how he gets it done.

Giannis doesn’t care about having a great three point shot. Instead, he is a dominate force in the paint and an unrelenting attacker. This is refreshing and unique in an era in which most stars use their prolific shooting skills to dominate from the perimeter.

Defenses give Giannis ample room to shoot and look to defend the paint against him. This does not matter. Giannis is virtually unguardable within close range unless he is doubled. In that case, he will just swing the ball around until the open man is found for a three. Coach Budenholzer has unlocked the Bucks offense and it’s exhilarating to watch. It’s amazing what a good coach can do for a team with a lot of potential that has yet to be tapped. But I digress.

Giannis’s blend of athleticism and strength along with his will to finish in the paint reminds me of a young Blake Griffin. Mix this in with his court vision and his versatility and you’ve got a touch of LeBron. Giannis is a player that can swing the momentum of a game in the blink of an eye. There were several occasions throughout the game vs. the Raptors when Giannis brought the Bucks back from the abyss with an awesome dunk, an exciting and-one finish, an elegant assist, or even a three-pointer.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter the Bucks were down 91–82 to the Raptors. They had ended the third quarter looking flat. The following sequence occurred:

In a span of less than four minutes, the Bucks erased a nine point deficit with Giannis scoring or assisting on four of the six scoring possessions. This included two critical threes that turned Fiserv Forum into a madhouse.

If you follow the NBA closely, you’ll know that the Bucks happened to lose this game due to a few defensive blunders and a great showing from the Raptors. The loss showed that there is still much work to be done if Milwaukee wants to compete for the Finals, but they’re nonetheless off to an incredible start and at times are nearly unstoppable.

As I mentioned above, I have seen several of the great modern NBA players play in person, and now I would like to talk about them and do a little comparison between watching them and watching Giannis.

LeBron James: Wow what a treat it was to see the King do his thing. I got to watch him last year when the Cavs played the Bucks, which was an amazing game. After watching LeBron for so many years on the biggest stages, it was so cool to finally witness his greatness in person. First of all, his physical presence is mind-boggling. Mix that with his zipping passes, his impressive shooting, and his unbelievable athleticism and you’ve got the perfect package. One of the best parts is at this stage of his career, LeBron knows he’s undoubtedly the best so therefore he just toys with the defense. He can flip the switch on whenever he pleases and take over the game while making everyone else look silly. I see a lot of LeBron in Giannis, and can definitely see him taking over the reigns as the best player in the NBA in the near future.

Kevin Durant: I must admit, as a Thunder fan, it was difficult seeing Durant in person for the first time in a Warriors jersey. However I can’t deny how amazing he was to watch. Every time he pulls up for a shot, you think it’s going to go in. That’s how perfect his stroke is. Like LeBron and Giannis, KD can take over a game in an instant and is virtually unguardable. Basically, the only hope that defenses have is for him to miss the shot because he can shoot over everybody. It’s crazy to watch a near 7-footer do what he does with such ease.

Steph Curry: I was fortunate to see Curry back in 2015 during the original Warriors championship run with fellow Scribes of 505 writers Daniel Frumkin and Diego Trujillo. Curry has to been one of the funnest players to watch in the league. There are so many ridiculous shots that he makes and when he misses it’s honestly shocking. I remember one specific shot in that game where Curry ran along the baseline under the hoop and then drained a fading corner three in the defender’s face. I was in awe. That was just one of many crazy shots he made.

Kawhi Leonard: Kawhi is nothing but smooth, consistent, and persistent. During the Bucks vs. Raptors game it seemed like he was involved in nearly every play. He has such a dominating defensive presence, shutting down everyone who dares to challenge him. Plus his hands are huge! I knew going in that he has some of the biggest hands in the league but I never thought I would notice it from so far away (I was sitting high up in the upper level). Anyways, I have always been a big fan of Kawhi ever since he dominated the Mountain West in college, so I was happy I got to see him play.

Russell Westbrook: I have wanted to see him play for so long and I finally got to at the United Center versus the Bulls last December. All I can say is that Westbrook is a really exciting player. He may not always be the smoothest player and he definitely makes some head-scratching plays, but the confidence he exudes is palpable. Plus, he truly cares about getting his teammates involved and watching him and Steven Adams’ on court relationship is extremely entertaining.

Paul George: George, like Kawhi, is smooth. He makes everything he does on the court look so casual and easy. In reality, he plays extremely hard. It’s amazing how many steals and deflections he is able to come up with. His defense drives his offense and leads to many great opportunities for the Thunder. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how athletic Paul George is due to his style of play, but when he flashes it, it can be astonishing.

All in all, it is a lot of fun to watch an NBA game in person. For those of you reading this who have yet to see one, I encourage you to go. You might just get to see something amazing!

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