Recently Antetokounmpo said to Yahoo Sports “Thats a lie.” I wont claim to be unconcerned. I desire a challenge. You are lying if you pretend you dont care. Do I feel it deserves my attention? No. My top priorities are to improve support my team in winning a title and relive that sensation.
That last sentence causes Antetokounmpo to smile a little because he is aware of the MVP discussion to date and the competitive in him craves the accolades. He repeats the names Kareem Jordan Russell Chamberlain LeBron Bird and Magic after hearing them but not understanding their significance (Moses and Julius too).
He has been regarded as the leagues finest player for the past few years the most unstoppable force on both ends of the court but he lacks the additional silverware to match it.
It generally takes someone of his quality more than that 16-game winning streak and 21 victories in 23 games between late January and mid-March to not only elbow his way into the debate but also to flee and hide from the opposition.
There are just a few prominent incidents if we focus on the past 30 years: Karl Malone paid a heavy price in the next two NBA Finals in 1997 when Michael Jordans Bulls won 69 games after winning 72 the year before and voters inexplicably decided to award him the sympathy MVP.
Antetokounmpo acknowledges that Joki and Embiid are the focus of the talk to which he responds “Thats okay.” He even provided a scouting report on both explaining how voters may decide whether to support either.
About Embiid I observe a player that is eager and plays with a chip on his shoulder in order to help his team win games. He has made an effort to be as accessible as he can for them. Due to the problems he had earlier in his career but now that he is here he is destroying every huge game he plays and dominating every other night. Someone you know makes his teammates better by attracting so much attention to himself (on the floor).
“Never. Others will crow “LeBron is gone” when he is no longer in the league. While he is here appreciate him and KD. Nobody should take me for granted since I dont take this work for granted.
The 16-game winning streak began when Middleton made a permanent return in January. A healthy Bucks club in the playoffs is difficult to imagine being defeated by any team West or East at full Voltron.
He frequently refers to himself as a history of the sport thus he is aware of his position following a second title and third MVP. When Antetokounmpo heard a Jordan statistic that may very well apply to him he was astounded: From 1987 (Jordans first full season back after suffering a foot injury in his second year) until 1998 he finished first or second in the MVP vote each of the nine seasons he began.