Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Press Conference | 1.20.24

Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Press Conference | 1.20.24

Obviously it’s been a four days since you played a game six six days since you played a game um just how was it trying to find your rhym um yeah obviously six days wasn’t able to you know because we play other day um had day off in between wasn’t able to

You know get my you know five versus five you know any contact play uh so you know if you don’t have that kind of practice day it’s hard to find your Rhythm uh but um at the end of the day I think score 140 points defense got to be

Better off offensively we’re moving the ball we are finding open guys Dame is doing his thing guys are get involved you know we’re heading towards the right direction uh we have another one in um two days right two days hopefully we can defend a little bit better but we can

Keep our Rhythm offensively and uh execute the way we did today how important was it to to maybe start the second half the way you did I mean you playm made in the first half but then the sort of transition dunk over two guys and it seemed like that turned a

Little bit for you and and Dam had it kind of open some things up when you’re making that sort of aggressive effort it changes their defense which opens some things up oh I’m just trying to try to be aggressive get back in the Rhythm uh um yeah there’s going to be

Some times that I’m able to find a lane able to you know go downhill and uh either for a layup or for a d or find my teammate but like at the end of the day like I feel like when I’m at my best when the team is at the best when I’m

Aggressive when I’m getting downhill when I’m making plays when I’m being aggressive um but yeah I think in the second half I was a little bit more kind of got used to the speed of the game game uh because it doesn’t matter if you know um you don’t you don’t play if you

Don’t you don’t play if you’re not out there goes away immediately you know so you got to get it back so yeah I think in the second half I was a little be able to be more aggressive guys were looking for me I was looking for guys

Too I Tred to start from defense got some deflections you know that gave me a little bit of energy um to be able to you know go the other way and uh just try to make some the Pistons have been playing their best basketball this month and naturally I’m

Sure they’ll come in with a chip on their shoulder on Monday what type of adjustments do you think your team needs to make um and also thinking back to the Knicks series that you had playing them twice in the same weekend what type of adjustments do you want to make on

Monday first of it’s I think it’s a good um You Know lesson lesson for us no matter how the game goes like we’ve had uh I think this is the second time we played uh a team twice it’s like playing the playoffs you you just got to make

Adjustment like our defense got to be better uh we got to defend the three better they were 10 for 17 in the first half um we got to defend the close out better was attacking our close out getting downhill try to make something happen in for themselves in for for a

Kick out three um kind of as much eliminate offensive rebounds guys are crashing you know uh getting second second chance Second Chance uh points what else I feel offensively we just got to keep on in the same Rhythm like Dame is being aggressive when Dame is aggressive

Everybody it’s he open UPS for everybody you know when Chris is aggressive everything open open up for everybody um that’s pretty much it you said that when you’re aggressive you feel like it helps your team is it that is it like um I don’t know like they can

Feel that energy and therefore they kind of Channel it as well like what is that to you um you know when I’m aggressive I think I’m able to create attention you know um guys you know get open threes sometimes guys uh get dump offs you know

Me being aggressive also the F of that energy uh but when I’m talk about being aggressive I’m not talking about driving the ball and finishing the pain that’s I’m talking about like being AET with your player like once you have the ball go for the hand of fast screen roll you

Know getting the ball in the packet read the boom you know like like being aggressive being engaged with the game you know be delivered with every move that you do like once your team feels that you know um Everybody feed off that energy and everybody kind of play the

Same way uh and he opens up for everybody so that’s what I mean uh defensively in that first qu they scored 38 points just what do you feel like you guys weren’t doing right to to let them get loose early in the first quarter I

Don’t know I got to I got to watch the film tomorrow um I’m really like in the first quarter not having played in six uh days it was too fast for me I couldn’t I couldn’t keep up with the game I’m not going to lie to you uh Dam had 19 in the

Third he had nine in the final two and a half or the fourth um he’s had some big games but this one felt a little different his in general I mean his shot was there um just what did you see from him in that third to kind of get you

Over the like give you guys a lead and then in the fourth to to kind of finish it out he was aggressive he was making the right play he was sitting guys in the pocket at the moment like he was sitting guys in the pocket and you have

To respect that then he was able to get his pocket threes kind of when the big was up he was able to beat him like he was getting to his spots and we need him to be aggressive like the moment Dame plays like that and is that assertive

Offensively with the ball because he has the ball majority of the time like the whole team follows you know uh and Dam is Dame is going to have big quarters so have big halves going to have big games and this was this is example of it um we

Need him to keep on being aggressive we need him to keep on leading this team uh we need to keep on making the right plays we need him to keep on making shots because when he’s assertive and aggressive and he makes the right plays and makes shots we are at our best same

Thing on the broadcast they were saying it it appears that Dame has gotten better ever since he had a game off for personal reasons I’m curious in what way did you and your teammates rally around him during that time hey man I’ll be I’ll be very honest with you when he

Uh went home to take care of business we played against you we lost by 30 actually we didn’t lose by 30 we were down by 30 in the first half so it’s no bra when he came back I you know ran to him gave him a hug told him never leave

Me again leave don’t leave my side again so it’s simple as that man like at the end of the day like we need him to be great in order for this team to be great you know and I think uh he realized that sometimes as as good of a player you are

Or as you know you can have accomplish everything in your life like sometimes you want to feel like you’re wanted like or you needed you know and you’re not being taken for granted you know all D is d d going to do his own thing like

Know oh Brook is Brook Brook is going to Black everything like you got keep on reinforc like good job Brook like d like we need you like we need you to play the way you play tonight we need you to keep on lead this team we need you to keep on

Being aggressive we need you to keep on uh making shots we need you to keep on making that extra pass we need you down the St to go get the ball Even If you deny go get sorry for my language you know but um at the end of day personally

When he came back me person I don’t know what they everybody else did I went give him a hug squeeze him for like seven seconds you know very very very hard and told him I said don’t you ever leave me again man it was it was horrible it was

The toughest game I ever played in the the season against Utah um he was laughing at the end of the day after that I feel like he understands like in order for us to be great he has to be great so he’s been great since since then

Giannis speaks to media following the win over the Pistons.

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