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Giannis Antetokounmpo has been nothing short of spectacular in the 2021 NBA Finals. The two-time MVP of the league is competing at this stage of the postseason for the first time in his career and his performances are already exhibiting signs of a historic series.
After two years of dominating the Eastern Conference but failing to make it to the biggest stage in the sport, the Milwaukee Bucks added even more defensive toughness and playoff experience to their starting five this year.
Acquiring P.J. Tucker and Jrue Holiday has proven to be one of the deciding factors in their success up until now. However, it is Giannis Antetokounmpo who has turned into an unstoppable force on offense and is doing everything in his power to make sure the Bucks lift the Larry O'Brien trophy.
5 Spectacular records Giannis Antetokounmpo has reached so far in the NBA Finals
The Phoenix Suns are going to have to make some serious adjustments if they want to combat Giannis Antetokounmpo's dominance. So far, he ranks top among all players in the series for points, rebounds, blocks and +/-. He also ranks second among starters for field-goal percentage, connecting with 62% of his efforts and bettered only by Deandre Ayton.
Antetokounmpo is on a one-man wrecking crew mission and is now living up to his MVP status not only in the regular season campaign but in the playoffs too, where he has traditionally received criticism.
He is getting into the paint, forcing Suns players into foul trouble and is getting his teammates involved when they are struggling to score.
It is staggering to think that prior to the NBA Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo had suffered a hyperextended knee injury, forcing him to miss the last two games of their semi-final series with the Atlanta Hawks. His knee looks great and he is playing with a chip on his shoulder of a player who desperately wants to win a ring to immortalize himself in league history.
1) 100 points and 40 rebounds in first three NBA Finals games
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first player in 50 postseasons to record 100 points and 40 rebounds in the first three games of an NBA Finals contest. Only three players in the history of the league have recorded more points than the Greek did in their opening three encounters. But they didn't grab a staggering 40 boards like the Bucks superstar has. Willis Reed was the last player to achieve this feat back in 1970.
The Milwaukee Bucks are hurting the Phoenix Suns in the paint at the moment and a lot of that has come down to Antetokounmpo's rebounding ability.
2) 40-point double-double in consecutive games
Aside from Shaquille O'Neal, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only other player to have scored 40+ points in back-to-back Finals games, along with 10+ rebounds. In their Game 3 victory over the Suns, the 26-year-old put up 41 points and 13 boards, following his 42 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2.
3) Consecutive 40+ point games
Scoring 40+ points in the NBA Finals was rare enough for Giannis Antetokounmpo but to do it in consecutive contests puts him into some elite company. He became just the sixth player in league history to do so, joining some of the greats: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West and Rick Barry.
He also did so while shooting at over 60% from the field, becoming the only player to have achieved such a feat in the last 20 years with the level of accuracy he displayed.
4) Most points in the restricted area
Antetokounmpo is a menace in the paint at the best of times. His immense length and athleticism makes him extremely difficult to stop when he has a full head of steam and his infamous euro-step strides allow him to ease past opponents or earn a trip to the line.
He is an extremely aggressive player on offense and his 28 non-free-throw points came in the paint, 24 of which came in the restricted area. That tally ties him with LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal for the most in an NBA Finals contest over the last 25 seasons. Those two superstars are also the only players to have scored more points in the paint than Giannis Antetokounmpo did in that game.
5) Historic two-game span
All of the historic lists of greats Giannis Antetokounmpo has joined with his performances pale in comparison to him becoming the first player in league history to register at least 80 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists. He has truly taken this series by storm and is showing no signs of stopping.
