Bucks’ Jeff Teague smiling while holding the 2021 NBA championship in the middle, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo using telekinesis with each other to Teague’s left and right, respectively
The 2021 NBA playoffs was a bizarre time for the Milwaukee Bucks. They have been one of the best teams in the association ever since Mike Budenholzer took over as head coach, but they couldn’t quite get over the hump. In fact, in 2021, they encountered a ton of problems on their way to winning the Larry O’Brien trophy, including falling down 2-0 to the Phoenix Suns to begin the NBA Finals.
Game 1, in particular, was a nightmare for Giannis Antetokounmpo. As the Bucks’ best player, the onus was on him to lead his team, but instead, he put up just 20 points on 6-11 shooting — not exactly championship-worthy numbers. Sure, Antetokounmpo was coming off a hyperextended knee injury, but there was something going on behind the scenes that made things more difficult for the Greek Freak.
As Jeff Teague revealed in his podcast Club 520, the Bucks star was having some difficulties playing up to his usual standards amid his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s bout with COVID-19, which prevented him from joining the team plane.
“Giannis’ brother, when we went down 0-2. he had COVID. o he couldn’t come to the plane. That’s why we were down 0-2. Giannis was messed up, like him & his brother. They got some different kind of connection. He can’t function if he don’t see his brother. I’m being for real,” Teague said. “He’s like, ‘Where TA at, where TA at?’ We in the middle of the game, like, ‘We in the Finals bro, play!’”
“[Thanasis Antetokounmpo] had Covid. So he couldn’t come to the plane. That’s why we were down 0-2. Giannis was messed up, like him & his brother. They got some different kind of connection. He can’t function [if he doesn’t see him].”
The Bucks have caught flak in recent years due to their decision to keep Thanasis Antetokounmpo on the roster. Many thought that Thanasis was merely on the roster due to nepotism since he doesn’t exactly perform well whenever he gets minutes. But getting the best out of Giannis Antetokounmpo is of utmost importance to Milwaukee, which explains why Thanasis may be as invaluable of a member of the franchise as there is.
“When [Giannis] see him, tunnel vision, back at home, he starts hooping. But [Thanasis’] energy was contagious. He’s running in the locker room, COVID and everything, yelling and screaming. I’m like, ‘Yeah, he matters. He makes a difference for our team.’ When he’s not here, something’s not clicking,” Teague added.
Giannis Antetokounmpo may not be content with winning just one championship given his lofty ambitions, but one thing is for sure: his legacy with the Bucks is secure.
After a lackluster Game 1, Antetokounmpo woke up, put his feet down, and carried the Bucks on his shoulders. From Game 2 to Game 6, Antetokounmpo averaged 38.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists on nearly 63 percent shooting from the field. This torrid stretch includes one of the greatest NBA Finals performances in history after Antetokounmpo dropped 50 points on 16-25 shooting from the field and, most importantly, 17-19 from the foul line in the Bucks’ championship-clinching victory.
Heading into the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Bucks simply could not get over the hump. In fact, during the 2021 postseason, they ran into some fair share of troubles, most notably being pushed to the brink by the Kevin Durant-led Brooklyn Nets. But Antetokounmpo can rest easy knowing that he’s an NBA champion and no one can ever take that away from him