Giannis - 2X MVP - FMVP - DPOY - Offseason discussion

[crkone]

TMZ was following Giannis in LA yesterday. He went out to a fancy dinner and said it was "expensive, too expensive" and followed with "this city is not for me." God, I love this man.

He needs a travel food TV series. "Cheap Eats with the Greek Freak" Basically writes itself.

[MickeyDavis]

Read on Twitter

[CharityStripe34]

Randomly saw this. The basket to pass Kareem. What a fun night.

[theFireBlanket]

Watch on YouTube

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Give Rise a C. Maybe I'm like a huge Harry Potter fan where a movie could never live up to how I envisioned the book.

A couple things I would've done differently:
- start with a current Giannis intro. Maybe it was timing with the championship being too late. They added finals clips at the end, but they could've started out with MVP chants or acceptance speech to frame he is currently the best player in the league. Like most people know that but I think it should have set the tone
- not enough narration or background. Kostas or alexis as a narrator point of view would've added some context to scenes. Too many times they had to drag out visuals and scenes to show how poor they were instead of a quick 1 minute narrator
- really hard to cast, but Giannis looked too big and thanasis too small. I don't think the viewer would realize how skinny he was coming into the league
- movie must've been 90 minutes, and yet they left out a lot of the coming to America stuff, the struggle to get them here, and his dad unexpectedly passing away. Probably harder to recreate the NBA scenes and would've looked weird using real Giannis footage at that point.

Honestly not sure I would watch it again.

[SirChurros]

Rise was about what I expected: fine.

It’s a typical Disney movie.

[Pachinko_]

Rise was... cheap. Just a low budget production.

[HKPackFan]

FYI SPOILERS: (I mean it's hard to have spoilers in a story we know intimately...)


I will always love a Giannis movie but this wasn't the masterpiece I was hoping for. I'll generously give it a B-

A movie like this to climb the top of the mountain, it's gotta be a big mountain. The struggle, the pain, the suffering have to be so intense when u reach the top its absolutely incredible. A movie like Rudy or a dozen other movies are better able to capture that impossible struggle.

I didn't quite get the feel of the pain, it's a very happy movie most of the time.

I have three opinions, I don't know if it's true but this was the vibe I get.

#1 it's a Disney movie aimed at kids. They seemed to tone down the slums. I mean they live in a cute sweet quaint apt. Not some shoddy broken down slum which was what I was expecting. The parents are always dressed well.

#2 Giannis grew up in a happy childhood. Inspite of it all he was happy with his family and there was so much love around. It seemed like this was the most important message the family was given to the directors and Giannis being the executive producer, it seemed he wanted to show a happy family.

So no one seemed to ever go hungry. They had a Playstation or Xbox of some kind.

If you've read the book you know how they had a lot of hungry nights, how a local Cafe fed the kids for free, how a coach or someone gave Giannis an allowance to play because otherwise Giannis would be out selling stuff so they could eat. How Giannis cried and wanted to play soccer like his dad and not basketball.

Those kind of powerful struggles were missing.

#3 there is a slight possibility, showing them starving and with nothing might look bad on his father as the provider, and maybe Giannis has too much love and respect for his dad to show him in a negative light, so downplayed that side of things.


I don't know, it might be hot takes I apologize. I love Giannis and his story is literally one of my favorite things all time.

That's why I wanted the story to have more bite. More struggle and pain to show how bad it really was. I was constantly providing commentary to the family while watching to emphasize the struggles more.

It's one of the greatest stories ever but I think it missed the mark with the depth of the struggle they endured.

Although I did love the draft scene at the end.


Also I think they were put in a weird situation, they had to keep the same actors for several years Giannis and Thanos so I think it's physically impossible to make them look the right size. From 13yr to 18yr Olds.

[higharc]

To add to everything you are commenting about RISE.

It gave me the general feel of the story, but I wish they had some side stories implemented.
1. A coach saw them playing in the playground court in Sepolia and brought them to Philathlitikos. No suggestion from another player would make them take that city journey just to "play after school".
2. They had to switch apartments quite a lot, hauling along the fridge, which wound make quite an image in the movie.
3. I cannot believe they left out the story of the cafe owner across the playground court that gave them sandwiches. Although they shot the scene of the family watching the draft in that exact cafe shop.
4. The "fiba showcase" was a U20 national team tournament in Italy. Giannis already had passport for that.
5. 50 NBA scouts were in that tournament and there is a ton of background of scouts coming to A2 league games.
6. Much missed opportunity about the loneliness and struggles in the first year in America until the rest of the family came.

I missed all that in the movie.
The actors who played Giannis and Thanasis never convinced me. Maybe Disney should have tried some deep fake facial tech on them. That would also let them throw in some real basketball footage of Giannis. Now it's just a kid movie.

[Pachinko_]

Ι have no idea what they're talking about... if my memory is not completely failing me the Philathletikos home court is like 5 miles from where Giannis used to live... Sepolia to Zografou even in peak traffic shouldn't be more than half an hour bus ride, and there should be plenty of public transport because Zografou is full of university campuses

[Pachinko_]

#1 it's a Disney movie aimed at kids. They seemed to tone down the slums. I mean they live in a cute sweet quaint apt. Not some shoddy broken down slum which was what I was expecting. The parents are always dressed well.

I think Giannis said they literally shot the film in the apartment next door from his in the same building he used to live. Athens doesn't have slums, just full of old medium to high rise apartment buildings. Don't know the exact address but this is what the neighborhood looks like
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.0031982,23.7165536,3a,75y,311.51h,107.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s52Z-evDF7OiU6fmLYOJxjQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Chad34]

FYI SPOILERS: (I mean it's hard to have spoilers in a story we know intimately...)


I will always love a Giannis movie but this wasn't the masterpiece I was hoping for. I'll generously give it a B-

A movie like this to climb the top of the mountain, it's gotta be a big mountain. The struggle, the pain, the suffering have to be so intense when u reach the top its absolutely incredible. A movie like Rudy or a dozen other movies are better able to capture that impossible struggle.

I didn't quite get the feel of the pain, it's a very happy movie most of the time.

I have three opinions, I don't know if it's true but this was the vibe I get.

#1 it's a Disney movie aimed at kids. They seemed to tone down the slums. I mean they live in a cute sweet quaint apt. Not some shoddy broken down slum which was what I was expecting. The parents are always dressed well.

#2 Giannis grew up in a happy childhood. Inspite of it all he was happy with his family and there was so much love around. It seemed like this was the most important message the family was given to the directors and Giannis being the executive producer, it seemed he wanted to show a happy family.

So no one seemed to ever go hungry. They had a Playstation or Xbox of some kind.

If you've read the book you know how they had a lot of hungry nights, how a local Cafe fed the kids for free, how a coach or someone gave Giannis an allowance to play because otherwise Giannis would be out selling stuff so they could eat. How Giannis cried and wanted to play soccer like his dad and not basketball.

Those kind of powerful struggles were missing.

#3 there is a slight possibility, showing them starving and with nothing might look bad on his father as the provider, and maybe Giannis has too much love and respect for his dad to show him in a negative light, so downplayed that side of things.


I don't know, it might be hot takes I apologize. I love Giannis and his story is literally one of my favorite things all time.

That's why I wanted the story to have more bite. More struggle and pain to show how bad it really was. I was constantly providing commentary to the family while watching to emphasize the struggles more.

It's one of the greatest stories ever but I think it missed the mark with the depth of the struggle they endured.

Although I did love the draft scene at the end.


Also I think they were put in a weird situation, they had to keep the same actors for several years Giannis and Thanos so I think it's physically impossible to make them look the right size. From 13yr to 18yr Olds.

I agree 100 percent with everything you said. I definitely had too high of expectations, It's nothing like the book. Their story might be able to be explored deeper in something like a tv mini series. To me what disney did cheapens the struggle they went through.

[HKPackFan]

#1 it's a Disney movie aimed at kids. They seemed to tone down the slums. I mean they live in a cute sweet quaint apt. Not some shoddy broken down slum which was what I was expecting. The parents are always dressed well.

I think Giannis said they literally shot the film in the apartment next door from his in the same building he used to live. Athens doesn't have slums, just full of old medium to high rise apartment buildings. Don't know the exact address but this is what the neighborhood looks like
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.0031982,23.7165536,3a,75y,311.51h,107.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s52Z-evDF7OiU6fmLYOJxjQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

That's fair. I guess it just seemed more comfortable than I was expecting. They had a gaming system, mom and dad were constantly dressed to impress. Veronica character always had some pretty impressive clothing. Even my daughter was like wow, for a family that is hungry like you say, mom always looking sharp in those outfits.

I just told her that is Giannis vision of her mom always looking good in his eyes.. I didn't know what else to say.


The book the struggle is so much more in depth and heartfelt, I was more emotional.

[HKPackFan]

To add to everything you are commenting about RISE.

It gave me the general feel of the story, but I wish they had some side stories implemented.
1. A coach saw them playing in the playground court in Sepolia and brought them to Philathlitikos. No suggestion from another player would make them take that city journey just to "play after school".
2. They had to switch apartments quite a lot, hauling along the fridge, which wound make quite an image in the movie.
3. I cannot believe they left out the story of the cafe owner across the playground court that gave them sandwiches. Although they shot the scene of the family watching the draft in that exact cafe shop.
4. The "fiba showcase" was a U20 national team tournament in Italy. Giannis already had passport for that.
5. 50 NBA scouts were in that tournament and there is a ton of background of scouts coming to A2 league games.
6. Much missed opportunity about the loneliness and struggles in the first year in America until the rest of the family came.

I missed all that in the movie.
The actors who played Giannis and Thanasis never convinced me. Maybe Disney should have tried some deep fake facial tech on them. That would also let them throw in some real basketball footage of Giannis. Now it's just a kid movie.

#6 would have been nice too. We know he wanted to quit if his family wasn't coming.

Also the humor of the oreos and cable guy, the ride from a stranger after sending too much at western union, his smoothie tweet. Hoarding shoes and refusing to wear more than one pair during the first season.

He had some endearing moments that first year.

[Licensed to Il]

I get the impression that everyone who is familiar with Giannis’ story is: glad the movie got made, are happy the story got such a wide audience, enjoyed watching it, yet felt like it could have been much more dynamic and it felt like Disney didn’t really know what they had. I could have been an all time sports movie, it felt like it was made trying to keep costs down and to not get caught up in details.

[Pachinko_]

That's fair. I guess it just seemed more comfortable than I was expecting. They had a gaming system, mom and dad were constantly dressed to impress. Veronica character always had some pretty impressive clothing. Even my daughter was like wow, for a family that is hungry like you say, mom always looking sharp in those outfits.

I just told her that is Giannis vision of her mom always looking good in his eyes.. I didn't know what else to say.


The book the struggle is so much more in depth and heartfelt, I was more emotional.

I guess it doesn't take a lot of money to wear a colorful dress, get a neighbour or friend to do each other's hair etc



But keeping the fridge stocked up and the struggle to make the money out of a tin box last until the next pay, I think they gave a feel for that in the movie. I mean you don't want to overdo it, they were poor but not dirt poor/homeless/living in a tin shed or whatever. And remember Giannis is also watching the movie, maybe there was a limit how many details they actually wanted to tell.

[Plossum]

Movie was enjoyable but very Disney. It’s not bad but it’s not rewatchable either. Made for folks in the suburbs to watch with their kids.

[MickeyDavis]

I'm not going to nitpick. The movie wasn't made for us. And in that regard it was fine.

[ejn1214]

Agree with that everyone else has said with basically it was fine and happy they made it. I really think they missed on how charismatic, funny and genuinely awesome Giannis is as a person. I felt his character was pretty hollow in the movie. I could watch that ayton block and jrue to Giannis alley oop forever though as it still makes my hair stand up.

[PG Graveyard]

Rise is the greatest movie of all time. Prove me wrong