Dec 23, 2020; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) attempts a free throw against the Boston Celtics during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks superstar missed a chance to tie against the Boston Celtics, and NBA Twitter let him hear it.
The 2020-21 NBA season is an important one for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks got him a new teammate in Jrue Holiday and rewarded him with a supermax contract extension for winning the MVP award for the second consecutive year. This is supposed to be the year where he leads the Bucks to the NBA Finals. Well, in his first crunch-time opportunity, Antetokounmpo fell short.
During the Bucks’ season opener against the Boston Celtics, Antetokounmpo stepped up to the free-throw line with the potential to tie the game and send it to overtime with two made free throws. Unfortunately, after making the first, the Greek Freak’s final shot from the charity stripe bounced off the rim, allowing the Celtics to escape with the 122-121 victory.
As is the case when any superstar falters, Twitter is always there to knock them back to the ground while they’re trying to get back on their feet.
Stay off Twitter, Giannis
Antetokounmpo’s outing in Boston on Wednesday night was a bit of a mixed bag. He did manage to score 35 points on 13 shots (26 attempts) and grab 13 rebounds for the double-double. But Antetokounmpo did commit seven turnovers and missed the aforementioned free throw.
The “Greek Freak” has been getting the business from fans and analysts ever since the Bucks were eliminated from the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals by the Toronto Raptors. After clinching the top seed in the East this past season, Milwaukee was shockingly eliminated by the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals in the Orlando bubble. Even though he experienced some bad luck in the playoffs, Antetokounmpo is still one of the NBA’s best players. That’s why the organization signed him to a record-breaking five-year, $228.2 million contract extension.
A reminder to all that there are still 71 regular-season games remaining for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, so don’t blow this loss completely out of proportion. If we could give Giannis a piece of advice, it’s this: stay off Twitter!