The collective 76ers fanbase (and Drew Hanlen) got upset about an unofficial MVP straw poll from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps where he polled media members from different markets on who they’d cast their MVP votes for.
The final tally with just two weeks left in the season showed Nikola Jokic leading the field with 62 first-place votes out of 100. Joel Embiid, who also led USA TODAY’s previous poll in February, placed second with 29 first-place votes and 719 total.
And then here was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who came in 3rd place with just 9 votes. It wasn’t just that he was in 3rd place, but he was decidedly 3rd. It wasn’t close.
But that may have changed after Tuesday night.
Antetokounmpo looked like the MVP after a head-to-head matchup with Joel Embiid. The Bucks were down by as many as 14 points until Antetokoumpo scored 13 straight points between the tail end of the 3rd quarter and the start of the 4th to bring them back in it.
The 76ers made the mistake of having Paul Millsap guard the Bucks’ MVP candidate and, well, this was the result.
According to https://t.co/ElSYPqQVMN’s matchup data from last night, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 15 points when Paul Millsap was his primary defender.
Millsap registered just under 2 minutes as Giannis’ primary defender.
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) March 30, 2022
That wasn’t even Antetokounmpo’s brightest moment in this one, though. It was what he did to shut the door on the Sixers that’ll have you calling Giannis the best player in the world.
The Bucks are up two late after Antetokounmpo splits a pair of free throws with about 13 ticks left on the clock. The 76ers get the ball back, call timeout and advance it up the floor.
They immediately jump into their Harden-Embiid pick and roll. This is a subtly brilliant set through a simple action that will get you a mismatch wherever you are on the court. The defense has to respect Embiid’s ability to pop out and shoot from deep but they also have to respect Harden’s ability to get to the rim and pull up with ease.
The defense is going to switch or trap, either freeing Embiid up completely (GULP) or giving Harden a mismatch with a big (slightly less exaggerated gulp).
The Bucks opt for the switch. Harden is on an island with Brook Lopez and, for whatever reason, decided to take a stepback 3 that badly misses. The good thing about bad misses is that they’re also fantastic offensive rebound opportunities. And with no Lopez down low, Embiid snatches it over what felt like six Milwaukee Bucks.
It was a fantastic play that looked like it was going to result in an easy putback. That is until Giannis did this.
Giannis with the game-sealing block on Embiid 😱
Refs originally called goaltending… pic.twitter.com/cbteRDvjD0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 30, 2022
THAT IS A BLOCK. AN INSANE BLOCK. They thought it was a goaltend, but here’s a look in slo-mo.
It’s a block.
Giannis gets the CLUTCH block in the closing seconds to secure the win for the @Bucks! #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/MFQUQfpe29
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2022
That is just a preposterous play by Antetokounmpo. Something that just shouldn’t even be possible. Yet, here he is. Making that play. And it’s eerily reminiscent of another incredibly clutch block we’ve seen this dude make.
WHAT A BLOCK BY GIANNIS 🤯#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/5rtJQbKZJS
— NBA TV (@NBATV) July 15, 2021
That’s just what this dude does, man. This is a play that only he can make. No one else has the quick-twitch athleticism and reaction time that allow him to do this. It’s just special.
Here’s the kicker. Antetokounmpo finished the game with 40 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal. He also shot 66% from the field. There have only been three games like this in NBA history and that was one of them. The only other two players do to this are David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon. That’s it.
That performance wasn’t just a game for him. It was a statement. Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are two very incredible players in their own right.
But don’t you forget about Giannis Antetokounmpo.
