The Milwaukee Bucks easily got rid of the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, beating them in five games to start their quest to retain the NBA championship in a great way. Giannis Antetokounmpo showed the way, posting big numbers, as usual, confirming that he’s the best player in the world right now.
Now the challenge will be a lot bigger, as the Boston Celtics needed fewer games than the Bucks to take out the Brooklyn Nets. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and co. are ready to face the Greek Freak, who will be without Khris Middleton for the entire series.
Boston is a dangerous rival, but Giannis hasn’t paid much attention to that. The 2x NBA MVP recently restated that he doesn’t watch basketball and hasn’t been watching the Boston Celtics, a team that performed really great during the first round of the postseason.
After the Bucks eliminated the Chicago Bulls earlier this week, Giannis was asked about the Celtics, and he replied that he has no idea of what Boston has done so far in the playoffs (7:15).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOST3j7BBpo
“I don’t watch basketball. I haven’t watched Boston. I’m being serious, I don’t watch basketball. I get too tense, I start sweating and stuff. My body gets tensed up. I’m sitting with my kids and I’m like [heavy] breathing. I can’t watch basketball, so I don’t know what they’ve done. But I know that they’re the team we’re playing. I’ve heard the guys talk about it in the locker room. I know they’ve been playing very good, I know swept Brooklyn. I know they’re a very good team, great young players, players that can score the ball; they play hard defensively. It’s gonna be a nice series.”
The Bucks and Celtics share some similarities, starting from the fact that they’re the last two teams to eliminate the Brooklyn Nets from the playoffs. They clashed in the second round of the playoffs three years ago, in the series that marked Kyrie Irving’s last time playing for the Celtics. They have evolved a lot since 2019 and we’re set to watch a series that will have everything.
Giannis is coming off a terrific regular season and his first-round series was memorable as well. He’ll have a big challenge now to prove that he’s the best player in the world without Khris Middleton by his side. The Celtics are trying to play in their second Eastern Conference finals in the last three years, but they’ll also have a huge obstacle in front.
