Skyler’s Swishes: We are the champions

“Skyler’s Swishes” is a column by Skyler Trepel covering the week’s top basketball events.

This week’s swishes are dedicated entirely to the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks and the journey of their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannis Antetokounmpo puts up one of the all-time great NBA performances

Giannis Antetokounmpo just did something we’ve never seen before in a game that will live in basketball lore forever. He became the first player to ever put up 50 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in a playoff game in a showing for the ages.

Antetokounmpo scored the most points ever in an NBA Finals championship-clinching win, tying Bob Pettit’s 1958 record. Antetokounmpo was scoring in all kinds of ways as he dominated inside the paint, ran the floor to finish his devastating drives, hit floaters, fadeaway jumpers and even a 3-pointer for good measure.

Perhaps the most surprising and impressive part of the two-time MVP’s night was how he overcame all the criticism of his ability to shoot free throws in the most important night of his career. Antetokounmpo shot only 58.7% from the charity stripe this postseason but managed to make 17 of 19 shots from the line when it counted most.

Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and five assists per game on the way to winning the Bill Russell 2021 Finals MVP award. At only 26 years old, this isn’t the last we’ll see of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks prove the small-market formula can still work

Although the Boston Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2008 to form the NBA’s OG Big Three, LeBron James is credited with starting the super team era when he made his decision to join the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010. He teamed up with friends and fellow superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a super team that won two NBA titles.

This began an era of player empowerment where players often joined super teams — Kevin Durant infamously joined the 73-win Golden State Warriors, for example — but Giannis Antetokounmpo took a different path.

The 2021 NBA Finals MVP said in his postgame press conference that he didn’t want to take the easy way out by joining a super team. Giannis’ pure jubilation after winning the Finals was infectious and hard to ignore, and he has become one of the most likable superstars of all time.

The Bucks’ victory is great for small-market teams as it offers proof that teams can still be built through the draft and by making the right moves without star players jumping ship.

Antetokounmpo fulfills Kobe Bryant’s challenge

In 2017, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was issuing out “Mamba Mentality” challenges to players on Twitter. This led to Antetokounmpo asking Kobe for his challenge, to which Kobe responded with three letters: MVP.

The Greek Freak grew up watching Kobe on TV in Greece, even seeing Kobe in the first NBA game he ever watched. Two years later, Antetokounmpo met Kobe’s challenge by winning the 2018-19 MVP award after training with him, and the Black Mamba gave him his next challenge: a championship.

Once again, two years later Antetokounmpo succeeded in fulfilling his hero’s challenge as he brought home the Bucks’ first championship in 50 years. 2021 NBA champion Antetokounmpo even discussed how much Kobe believing in him inspired him to work hard and be great.