Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing in his first-ever Finals. Yet, somehow, he is already outperforming some of the NBA’s greatest.
After Sunday’s night’s 40-point performance, the Greek Freak joined a very exclusive club of players who have dropped back-to-back 40 point games in the Finals.
Amazingly, he also has more 40-point Finals games than Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird.
Giannis has more 40-point games in the Finals than:
Kevin Durant
Steph Curry
Kobe Bryant
Tim Duncan
Larry Bird
Karl Malone
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Wilt Chamberlain pic.twitter.com/G0iWpcl5kR
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 12, 2021
As a 2x MVP and 5x NBA All-Star at 26-years-old, Giannis is already in elite company. If he wins the Championship this year, playing like he is now, it could put him in the All-Time Top 10 conversation.
Through the first three games, he is averaging 34.3 points per game — a truly extraordinary and astounding stat for a guy with no previous Finals experience.
Perhaps even more impressive is the path Giannis and the Bucks took to even get to the Finals. Passing Miami, Brooklyn, and then Atlanta was no easy feat, and Antetokounmpo deserves credit for being good enough to propel his squad past those teams.
While it remains to be seen if the Bucks can build momentum and win Game 4, Giannis is having one heck of a series, and it deserves some recognition.
