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Eastern Conference powerhouse Milwaukee Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, won Game 1 of their series against the Boston Celtics. The defending NBA Champions made light work of the only side to complete a first-round sweep in a lopsided contest.
The Celtics came into this game in red-hot form as they swept the Brooklyn Nets in their first-round serie. The Bucks, on the other hand, beat the Chicago Bulls in five games to set up this contest between two heavyweights of the Eastern Conference.
NBA world reacts to Giannis Antetokounmpo's Bucks pummel the Celtics
NBA and Milwaukee Bucks fans flooded Twitter to provide their reactions to the Bucks' performance. Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped a 24-point triple-double in the mauling of the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference semifinals matchup.
Here are some of the reactions:
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo underappreciated?
Arguably the best player in the world right now, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a man on a mission the last couple of years. He won the coveted MVP award twice and the Defensive Player of the Year award. He's the only player not named Michael Jordan or Hakeem Olajuwon to win the MVP and DPOY in the same season.
The "Greek Freak" capped it off with an incredible postseason last year. He led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship since the days of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and won the Finals MVP as well. Yet, he continues to be underappreciated just because his jumpshot isn't as efficient as other superstars.
There is this narrative that the Bucks would not have advanced past the second round last season had Kevin Durant worn a smaller shoe. But what also needs to be pointed is that Antetokounmpo averaged nearly 32 points along with 12.9 rebounds in that series. He did that while shooting better than 57%. He dropped 40 points in Game 7 of the series against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis have had continuity since last year. This is their trump card. When looking at the uncertainties among the East's contenders, seeing the Bucks in the NBA Finals once again would not be surprising at all.
Antetokounmpo isn't flashy in the way he plays. He is a dominant force who will bully opponents in the paint and is also one of the league's best defensive players, if not the best. All these reasons make him underappreciated, but that will change if he and the Bucks repeat as champions this year and with the way things are looking, they are at the very least the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference for the second year running.
