Giannis and Stephen Curry: loving the process
[mostly free article]
Giannis Antetokuonmpo showed his passion for the game, as well as Mike Budenholzer’s blueprint for stopping Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, last night at the Milwaukee Bucks postgame interview. In the interests of time and because my background is more-so in engineering than writing, the notes are below.
I also love how Steph gave us a life lesson in his postgame interview: “fall in love with the process”. I wish I could talk more about that, but you’ll just have to tune into my in-game livestreams (aka second screen live chats):
I’m definitely rooting for Giannis (whenever he’s not playing against the Warriors). I hope the Dubs make it to the 2022 NBA Finals and I hope it’s the Bucks on the other side, because Giannis is a real one. And he’s good. So, so good. Great. And after last night’s performance and what I saw in the postgame, I’m done criticizing that man on anything. Last season when the Bucks’ chips were down, I heavily criticized his inability to pull up for a jumper. Nah, his greatness is so apparent to me now (well, after they won the chip last year and then reinforced last night), that he’s reached my personal echelon of where I don’t doubt the guy one iota anymore and am just grateful to witness him and his craft. I wish more fans had that level of respect, but a lot of fans are not seasoned, either (or they have other transgressions that they carry into their NBA fandom) and, well, they’re fanatics.
There wasn’t a single player on the Warriors who could guard Giannis last night, although Draymond Green was injured and, in hindsight, and only if the Finals started tomorrow with Bucks-Warriors, you’d probably have to start Jonathan Kuminga on him. And that’s a tremendous hat tip to “JK”.
And btw guarding Giannis is another topic for a future post. No, the Warriors do not need to sign a center, and Giannis is a 4 that’s playing the 5 in the 2022 NBA. Boogie Cousins wasn’t gonna stop Giannis last night lol. But more on that later.
I’ll leave it at that. I have so much respect for the energy Giannis puts into his craft. You can see it in how he pounds the table in his interview below, and in his words and probably the direct Curry defensive instructions repeated to the media via his Coach Bud. Because it’s almost tipoff versus the Chicago Bulls, I’ll just list out below all my postgame videos and notes and quotes in whatever order below. Sorry to leave you digesting the content in a non-elegant way like, you know, an engineering textbook. Paid subscribers get a tiny little bonus at the end, and the following notes have already been posted since this morning on our private Discord app, which comes free with paid subscriptions…
BUDENHOLZER POSTGAME (first two questions only):
Defending Steph: “The whole group. It’s hard to put into words what a great player he is. Generational. Changed the game. So you end up having five guys locked in and ready, trying to make it hard for him. Wes kinda gets the beginning and you have four people tracking him everywhere he goes the whole time. It just takes that kind of effort with a guy like Curry.”
Hill still face-guarding Steph up 20: “There was a good focus from us tonight…team like the Warriors, player like Curry, Thompson, they bring out the best in you, they bring out the highest focus…we need that as much as possible…”
GIANNIS POSTGAME (first 5 questions only):
Defending Steph: “…showing bodies, being active, showing hands…behind that we’re all active because we know that they’re gonna throw the ball to the big man, to the guy that’s gonna roll. And the play doesn’t stop there. It starts there, actually, because whenever he throws it back, he tries to get it back…we knew that he’s gonna try to shoot the ball, he’s gonna be aggressive, he’s gonna try to find his teammates and he’s one of the best players in the league, the last ten years. So a guy like that, it can’t be just one person. It’s gotta be the whole team, being active, showing hands, having the mindset of multiple efforts: we have to chase tonight, he’s gonna pass the ball, he’s gonna get it back, he might not get it and it’s gonna be dribble handoff with Klay or it’s gonna be dribble handoff with Wiggins. So we gotta be all locked in and we gotta be on our toes tonight and chase.”
Without Dray mindset: “Just make the right play…(lists a whole bunch of things again)…get into the position where you see everything…try to get downhill.”
Immediately going to the rim: “Every possession’s different…I was able to get into the paint. Different possession, maybe a free throw jump shot…not gonna second-guess it…see what’s next. I always try to be in the moment…”
Grayson Allen question
Blowout win: “…built good habits today…took the assignment of guarding one of the best players in the league…all of us together, that’s a good habit…the last couple games we weren’t sharp enough on defense…had a good practice…carried over to the game. We gotta be active, we gotta guard…usually we have five great players on the court…but we have to defend…no matter the outcome of the game, we up 40, 20, 30…at the end of the day no one’s gonna remember this game in two months. They’re only gonna remember that we’re able to together as a team, stop — not stop, you can never stop those players — but limit Steph Curry as a team defensively…”
KERR POSTGAME
Recap: “Tbh I’m not that concerned. I know we just got our butts kicked. We’re just in a rough patch in our season. It happens to every team, every year pretty much, with very few exceptions. We played a team that was ready and played a great great first half. So we’re a little out of sorts.”
Keys to getting back on track? “Well it starts with defense, we gave up 78 in the first half…(it’s hard to) get an offensive rhythm if you’re taking the ball out of the net every time…I know the game was already out of hand but our response was great in the second half…I’m looking at Chiozza and Juan and DLee and they’re diving all over the floor and JK pushing the ball and really getting after it. We kept playing, Beli…we’ll find it again…weather the storm.”
Not a bad defensive performance: “Number one give them credit. Giannis was amazing…Portis got hot, several guys made threes…Connaughton…Middleton…we weren’t connected and we weren’t rotating very well…they really executed and spread us out. Our defense overall has been really good. We’re number one in defensive rating so I’m not concerned about our ability to bounce back and defend at a higher level.”
First half offense: “We’ve lost a little confidence as a group. You can see, we had a lot of open shots that weren’t going and we were kinda hanging our heads and they were making everything. It was just one of those nights and when you’re playing 82, once in awhile this stuff happens. I’ve seen it every year that I’ve been in the league and it’s part of being a competitor. Once in awhile you get your ass kicked and it’s humiliating and it’s no fun and it’s all about how you respond…the way we responded in the second half is indicative of who our team is…”
Besides Klay rest? “Well Gary won’t play. He had the injury tonight…”
LOONEY POSTGAME
What concerns you: “We just didn’t play with our normal identity…we always relied on our defense…kinda slipped a lot of the defensive end…”
Defense? “Staying disciplined, not turning the ball over. I came out there, got two fouls right away. Small things like that can have a snowball effect…we fouled early, turned the ball over…(Bucks) saw the ball go in, it was a snowball effect…”
Offense: “We’ve been kinda getting away from what we do well which is pushing the ball…our spacing…we got guys in and out of the lineup. Adding Klay in, losing Draymond, small things like that. Kinda lost our way…make the extra passes and move the ball…”
Klay: “…he’s on a minutes restriction so not having him out there. He’s one of our best players already…we kinda already started leaning on him especially without Draymond. He’s only out there for short bursts…losing our guidance, our way. Been leaning on Steph so much so now we have Klay, leaning on him…move the ball and play solid basketball…everything will start going back to normal.”
JUAN POSTGAME
Recap: “I’m not concerned at all. I mean, we’re human beings and it’s a long season and nobody’s perfect…Does it suck to lose that bad? Of course. I mean, we got another game tomorrow…”
Offense: “Hmm, idk, we couldn’t hit a shot today so maybe we need to get some shots up. For myself, I’m shooting like shit from the free throw line. I need to shoot more free throws in practice obviously…just find a little groove again…we’re just going into a little slump…great players on this team and we got a great coach and great organization…compete every night…we’ll respond.”
Issues: “We gotta get more stops. We gotta get back to being the best defensive team in the NBA…easy buckets in transition and you’re playing against a set defense every time…hold our opponents to one shot…that’s a spirit-killer. You’re playing defense for twenty seconds…then you gotta play defense again for 14 seconds. So just rebounding…they had 49 defensive rebounds so that shows you how much we missed…”
Confidence: “I can’t speak for everybody else. I had a little bloc as far shooting the ball, saw the ball go in at the end of the game today so for me that was good…long season…carry that rhythm…shoot the ball much better than I’ve been shooting it…but I made some shots tonight…”
Klay/Dray fluctuation: “That’s the gift and the curse of being on a championship-caliber deep team…all of us figuring it out…82 games in the season, you’re not gonna win every game but you prepare…April, May, June…that’s what the season is, is figuring it out…put our best five out there.”
STEPH POSTGAME
Recap: “We obviously have stuff to work on. It’s not a situation where we don’t know what to do…Milwaukee is a good team, they’re championship DNA now…got off to a terrible start where everything went wrong…way that they guarded us…didn’t make anything early…(Bucks) played a little hungrier than we did tonight…won it in the first 18 minutes…start games better…understand how teams are defending us…find some type of heartbeat on the defensive end…we set the bar really high…”
Offense concerns? “Not at all…comparing yourself to yourself. There’s never a moral victory situation, we’re not talking about that. It’s maintaining confidence in who you are…we’ve beat some really good teams…we’ve gotten blown out. It’s the life of an 82-game schedule but where it gets tricky is if there are consistent things that show up night after night…correct sooner than later, so another opportunity tomorrow…there’s no panic.”
Details: “Turnovers that lead to easy buckets especially early in the game. That is a sign of sometimes focus and sometimes overall lack of execution…consistently we’ve gotten — I won’t call it breakout games — but we’ve gotten people’s best shot compared to how they have been playing so it’s kinda like a taste of the old Warrior kinda way which is dope because it allows us to be tested…rebounding trouble…creating the right shots…based on how teams are defending me…that hasn’t been great as of late.”
Fluctuations protocols, Dray, Klay affecting JP etc: “…it is an adjustment…there is no panic…we have time to figure that out…Klay…kinda taking away from the whole group, new starting lineup, Draymond being out…always talked about breaking this into three seasons: getting off to a good start, waiting for Klay to get back, Wise, then this period we’re in right now…adjustments…get better, stay patient and get everybody comfortable with our new chemistry and then a playoff push where post All-Star Break type of vibe where you gotta get really dialed in and understand who we are…tough when you’re in the middle of a run like this…comparing us to ourselves…beaten Utah and teams that have been in the playoffs so we’ve shown that we can do it…”
Miss Draymond’s fire? “You can yell all you want to in the locker room but if you’re not on the court, it doesn’t really matter.”
Giannis journey, JK and Wise learn from? “Do your homework on what the first couple years look like…figure out his way…that’s the hardest thing for anybody to hear as a young guy is patience…any industry in the world…when things are really gonna click, when you’re gonna take that next leap but you have to fall in love with the process…can’t cheat that part…most superstars…weren’t as polished…it was all about the work that he put in…stick with the process.” 🚨
Below are first some videos I posted on the channel, then below the paywall demarcation line, some bonus videos for paid subscribers…