Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘Miami was built to be an NBA bubble team’

[LukaTheGOAT]

Surprised Giannis would say this. What does this even mean? Miami didn’t even get abnormally hot in an empty gym (37.3% vs. Bucks). Why did the Bucks brick a bunch of open shots in an empty gym? Giannis didn’t make FTs or jumpers and they lost.

There were basically 2 teams that brought any intensity in the bubble... The Lakers and Miami... Nuggets had flashes too.

How did you measure this because I don’t think this is true.

I think Miami could be the Bucks biggest test in the East, so it would be interesting to see another matchup against them.

[EliteSmarts]

"I'm not making excuses, but______" = an excuse, 100% of the time.

Agreed but it's just more measured way of looking for reasons to what happened. I don't think Giannis blames The Bubble for losing. I think he's crediting Miami, saying their team adjusted to bubble the best. Miami Heat are one of the toughest teams and most prepared teams to play so I don't think it was a diss from Giannis more of credit to them.

That would make sense if he didn't add:

but it wasn’t a satisfying year for me because I felt like if it was a normal situation, it wouldn’t end up like that

Yeah I didn't read full quote properly, my apologies.

Poor from Giannis but hey, if it helps him sleep at night then it's nbd tbh.

[Slim Charless]

This guy lol.

Wins a lucky ring thanks to Kyrie and Harden going down, then gets a sprained ankle Trae and crooked refs VS Phoenix in the Finals...and now he thinks the Bucks are some dynamo? Ok, congrats you won and you're the champs but take it down a notch.

Looking forward to the East playoffs and what team exposes MIL. My money is Philly in the 2nd round with Harden making him pay for beef they had a few years ago. Sixers in 6 if they meet.

[Texas Chuck]

I pretty sure every Non-Miami fan would agree

Not me. I think the Lakers and Miami were as legit of Finals teams as any year. Situation was the same for all the teams. Nobody needs to apologize for winning in the bubble.

And trust me if there were two teams whose accomplishments I would most want to discredit it would be the Heat and the Lakers. I have zero love lost for either.

But real is real.

[Flash4thewin]

Translation: "f*** Miami"

Yup and he then unfortunately backed it up by sweeping us. I still don't know what happened to Butlers in the playoffs but it was horrible. A rematch would be fun.

[jokeboy86]

Giannis strikes me as the type who feeds off home crowd energy which in the bubble was not there obviously. I think if you're Giannis and the Bucks, one way or another you want a rematch with a healthy Nets team or a rubber match with the Heat(or both) to prove that the events of last year were not a fluke. Nets can say they weren't healthy last year and Heat can say they and the Lakers had the shortest off-season in league history. Phi, MIA, BKN, MIL all have a lot to prove in these playoffs and it should be fun

[Texas Chuck]

There were basically 2 teams that brought any intensity in the bubble... The Lakers and Miami... Nuggets had flashes too...

But the rest of the teams pretty much slept walked through the bubble... So anyone who didn't win in the bubble can pretty much look in the mirror...

Also that intensity came at a price... Because neither Miami or the Lakers has been the same since.

This isn't true though of course. Phoenix certainly brought intensity and it sprung them right into adding Paul and being the best team in the West coming out. My little Mavs certainly brought intensity and gave Kawhi and the favored Clippers all they wanted.

They just weren't championship level teams, but it wasn't lack of intensity or want to from them or several others. I just got through saying I take nothing away from the Lakers or Heat, but that doesn't mean we should take away from everyone else either lol.

[thebigbird]

Giannis about the bubble before Miami destroyed him:

“I’ve heard a lot of people say that there’s going to be, like, a star next to this championship,” Milwaukee forward and reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “I feel like at the end of the day this is going to be like the toughest championship you could ever win because the circumstances are really, really tough right now. So, whoever wants it more is going to be able to go out there and take it.”

https://www.wearegreenbay.com/sports/asterisk-on-the-nba-title-coaches-players-say-not-a-chance/amp/

I guess Miami just wanted it more than he did

[Kilroy]

There were basically 2 teams that brought any intensity in the bubble... The Lakers and Miami... Nuggets had flashes too...

But the rest of the teams pretty much slept walked through the bubble... So anyone who didn't win in the bubble can pretty much look in the mirror...

Also that intensity came at a price... Because neither Miami or the Lakers has been the same since.

This isn't true though of course. Phoenix certainly brought intensity and it sprung them right into adding Paul and being the best team in the West coming out. My little Mavs certainly brought intensity and gave Kawhi and the favored Clippers all they wanted.

They just weren't championship level teams, but it wasn't lack of intensity or want to from them or several others. I just got through saying I take nothing away from the Lakers or Heat, but that doesn't mean we should take away from everyone else either lol.

LOL... That's all anyone has been trying to do since the bubble...

Sorry but no team played harder than Miami in the bubble... And the Lakers were underdogs in almost every series, and somehow won it all... I don't think there were 2 stars in the bubble who were more 'locked-in' than AD and LeBron... And it showed. In retrospect, I think they realized that might be their last chance to win it all and they better make the most of it... They were clearly on another level in the Bubble, vs the reg season.

[NyKnicks1714]

Now what Giannis could have specifically mentioned and had a point with is that the Bucks lost their HCA. It's certainly less likely that Miami would have gone up 2-0 if those games were in Milwaukee.

[whocares1]

I pretty sure every Non-Miami fan would agree

Not me. I think the Lakers and Miami were as legit of Finals teams as any year. Situation was the same for all the teams. Nobody needs to apologize for winning in the bubble.

And trust me if there were two teams whose accomplishments I would most want to discredit it would be the Heat and the Lakers. I have zero love lost for either.

But real is real.

Na it wasn’t the same. The ridiculous performances put on in empty gyms once the bubble came into play. Duncan Robinson even saying that hitting threes in an empty gym is easy. Playing in a packed stadium whether you’re home or away impacts the game. Miami would’ve never made it in a normal season and the Lakers made light work of them.

[Texas Chuck]

There were basically 2 teams that brought any intensity in the bubble... The Lakers and Miami... Nuggets had flashes too...

But the rest of the teams pretty much slept walked through the bubble... So anyone who didn't win in the bubble can pretty much look in the mirror...

Also that intensity came at a price... Because neither Miami or the Lakers has been the same since.

This isn't true though of course. Phoenix certainly brought intensity and it sprung them right into adding Paul and being the best team in the West coming out. My little Mavs certainly brought intensity and gave Kawhi and the favored Clippers all they wanted.

They just weren't championship level teams, but it wasn't lack of intensity or want to from them or several others. I just got through saying I take nothing away from the Lakers or Heat, but that doesn't mean we should take away from everyone else either lol.

LOL... That's all anyone has been trying to do since the bubble...

Except me. The guy you are responding to.... I have been consistent my entire time on this site. The champ is the champ period. Lakers are the champ in 20. Heat were the champs in 06. The KD/Curry Warriors were legit, etc etc etc.... I don't do asterisks or try and say why one championship is worth more than another. They are all worth one.

But sure the way to react to a perceived disrespect I guess is to just disrespect other teams who tried hard too but didn't happen to have Lebron/AD or Bam/Butler or Jokic....

[Texas Chuck]

I pretty sure every Non-Miami fan would agree

Not me. I think the Lakers and Miami were as legit of Finals teams as any year. Situation was the same for all the teams. Nobody needs to apologize for winning in the bubble.

And trust me if there were two teams whose accomplishments I would most want to discredit it would be the Heat and the Lakers. I have zero love lost for either.

But real is real.

Na it wasn’t the same. The ridiculous performances put on in empty gyms once the bubble came into play. Duncan Robinson even saying that hitting threes in an empty gym is easy. Playing in a packed stadium whether you’re home or away impacts the game. Miami would’ve never made it in a normal season and the Lakers made light work of them.

Of course it was a different atmosphere. I'm not saying it wasn't. But it was the same for all. If the Heat players took better advantage of it than players on other teams, that's good on them. Not bad.

[CobraCommander]

Translation: "f*** Miami"

Yeah Giannis actually has a ring at this point...zGiannis the champ...shut him up Miami by shutting him up!

[art_tatum]

If any team was built to be a bubble team it was the Lakers. Shortened season, no travel definitely benefitted the oft injured/older/mentally fragile 2020 squad. Plus luck with opponent injuries help secure a uneventful playoff run

[KembaWalker]

everyone knows the bubble was a major asterisk

[theforumblue]

I dislike people who try to asterick the 2020 season but I do get a kick out of how smug some lakers fans were about astericking the 99 Spurs title and now having to endure the same thing

everyone knows lakers only have like 2 legit championships.

[whocares1]

Not me. I think the Lakers and Miami were as legit of Finals teams as any year. Situation was the same for all the teams. Nobody needs to apologize for winning in the bubble.

And trust me if there were two teams whose accomplishments I would most want to discredit it would be the Heat and the Lakers. I have zero love lost for either.

But real is real.

Na it wasn’t the same. The ridiculous performances put on in empty gyms once the bubble came into play. Duncan Robinson even saying that hitting threes in an empty gym is easy. Playing in a packed stadium whether you’re home or away impacts the game. Miami would’ve never made it in a normal season and the Lakers made light work of them.

Of course it was a different atmosphere. I'm not saying it wasn't. But it was the same for all. If the Heat players took better advantage of it than players on other teams, that's good on them. Not bad.

Well since playing in an empty gym (Not even a stadium sized court but a rec level gym) has never been done before… it is an outlier, Im not going to take anything that happened in it seriously for that reason alone. Congrats on the Heat tho for making it and losing bad in the Finals I guess.

[MoneyMo]

Funny, when he still had a shot at the bubble title he said:

“I feel like this is going to be the toughest championship you could ever win,” Antetokounmpo told reporters on a Wednesday conference video call after participating in the Bucks’ first day of individual workouts at their training facility in Milwaukee.

“Because circumstances are really tough right now. Whoever wants it more is going to be able to go out there and take it.”

“Like I said before, this is the toughest title,” said the 2019 Kia MVP and favorite to repeat this year. “You go somewhere without your family for three months and you haven’t played basketball for three-and-a-half, four months. Whatever team wants it more has got to be mentally prepared for this situation. And has to go out there and execute.

“Teams got to be in shape. So whoever took care of themselves for these four months we weren’t able to play, [they are] gonna be in a better position. … Whoever wants it more, whoever is mentally prepared for all this, that team is going to come out on top.”

Budenholzer:

“I feel like the champion from this experience, from this season, is going to be more worthy and more special than any champion,”

https://www.nba.com/news/giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-2020-championship-difficulty

Now Giannis is throwing shade

[Kilroy]

This isn't true though of course. Phoenix certainly brought intensity and it sprung them right into adding Paul and being the best team in the West coming out. My little Mavs certainly brought intensity and gave Kawhi and the favored Clippers all they wanted.

They just weren't championship level teams, but it wasn't lack of intensity or want to from them or several others. I just got through saying I take nothing away from the Lakers or Heat, but that doesn't mean we should take away from everyone else either lol.

LOL... That's all anyone has been trying to do since the bubble...

Except me. The guy you are responding to.... I have been consistent my entire time on this site. The champ is the champ period. Lakers are the champ in 20. Heat were the champs in 06. The KD/Curry Warriors were legit, etc etc etc.... I don't do asterisks or try and say why one championship is worth more than another. They are all worth one.

But sure the way to react to a perceived disrespect I guess is to just disrespect other teams who tried hard too but didn't happen to have Lebron/AD or Bam/Butler or Jokic....

You didn't respond as an individual, unless you often refer to yourself as "we"... I assumed you were speaking for all fans and responded in kind...

Aside from that your logic is circular... If saying the Lakers and Heat, who won the championship, in spite of almost always being considered underdogs throughout the playoffs, played with more intensity than other teams, is an insult to other teams.... Then isn't it also an insult to the Lakers and Heat to deny they played with more intensity than the teams who didn't win, in spite of those teams often being favored to win those series?
To say that a team didn't play with the same intensity as the Lakers or Heat, is not an insult to that team... Especially in the bubble, where pretty much all the players said it was a mental grind and struggle to stay focused... You could clearly see the teams that weren't up for it and the Bucks were one of them... They had been through a lot that season...