Giannis Antetokounmpo sounds like he’s hit his breaking point. Looking to enter All-Star Weekend with some form of momentum, Antetokounmpo and the reeling Milwaukee Bucks embarrassingly fell to the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, February 15, losing 113-110.
It was an ugly ending to a disappointing first half for the Bucks, who find themselves 8.5 games behind the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. After the ugly loss, Antetokounmpo didn’t hold back his feelings.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Says the Bucks Need More Hunger
It didn’t take long for the Greek Freak to make some noise after losing to a Grizzlies team that’s playing without stars Ja Morant and Marcus Smart. The Bucks head into the All-Star break with a disappointing record of 35-21.
“There’s so many things that we have to do in order for us to be better,” Antetokounmpo said, per The Athletic. “And it starts with, we have to want it. We have to want it. We have to want it. Like, what can I — what else should I say? Do we want it? Do we really want to win? Do we want to win?”
Antetokounmpo had himself a game against the Grizzlies, scoring 35 points on 15-for-17 shooting. He also dished out 12 assists. Still, it wasn’t enough.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, 3-7 since taking over for the fired Adrian Griffin this season, also questioned whether or not all the Milwaukee players were there mentally.
“We had some guys here and some guys in Cabo,” Rivers said postgame.
Antetokounmpo said there are too many excuses with this Bucks team.
“We have to want it, man,” Antetokounmpo said. “Like enough with the talking. Enough with the, ‘our s*** don’t-stink’ mentality. Do we really want it? Are we putting in the work? Are we going to put in the effort? Are we going to fight for what we think that we deserve or what our goals are trying to accomplish? That is the most important thing.
“Guys are tired, that’s an excuse. New coach, excuse. New system, excuse. New defense, excuse. All of it, it’s excuse. At the end of the day, you’re going to go out there and try to play basketball, try to compete and they competed harder than us today. They competed harder than us two days ago. We are not on track of what we are trying to do and I feel like the team feels it. The team feels it. I feel it.”
Kendrick Perkins Calls Out Antetokounmpo
While Antetokounmpo said there were too many excuses, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins had a question for the Bucks star.
“Well, what’s Giannis’ excuse?” Perkins asked on “NBA Today.” “At the end of the day, we know he’s going to be a guy who’s going to go out there and give you 30. We know that he’s going to be in the MVP conversation. But Giannis is also a player that every single season for the last four seasons has not only won Defensive Player of the Year but has been in the conversation.
“Do you know that since November, he’s averaging less than a block a game? Giannis Antetokounmpo, the most dominant player in the game today, is averaging, since November, less than one block a game. That’s unacceptable. It starts with him.
“Before you start calling out everybody else, you’ve got to make sure you hold yourself accountable and do what you need to do and lead by example.”
Giannis has a point. Perkins doesn’t have much of one. One more added block per game from Antetokounmpo isn’t the reason why the Bucks are in the position they’re in.
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Agitated Giannis Antetokounmpo Says Bucks Are a Team Full of Excuses