Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Press Conference | 1.29.24

Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Press Conference | 1.29.24

25 shots for for joic to to score 25 points um just what did what did you like about the the effort on him individually but then also even as a team to to kind of play some vintage Bucks basketball in a way and and defend

The way you did um I think um as a team we did a good job the defensively um you know put majority of the game Brooke on him um then we made adjustment with me being on him and then switching and then when the small switched on him Brook was

Right there in the weak side either to kick him out or to be the helps side defense um you know at the end of day you know the ball’s going to be in his hand you just got to make it that tough as possible for

Him um that’s pretty much it I think the game was offensively down the stretch there was I think from the third quarter to the fourth quarter it was a time that we had kind of momentum and we were playing fast the ball was was moving

Made some shots uh but then kind of I think lost the momentum and uh going down the threets defensively they made tough shots we couldn’t get a stop so that’s why I think get got the win I think there’s like a two-minute stretch in the fourth quarter where you guys don’t score and

That’s kind of where they open up that lead what you quarter fourth quarter fourth quarter um I think Brook it h to the three to make it 98 97 and then you guys don’t score for two minutes it’s like the five minute to three minute Mark in the fourth quarter what do you

See kind of during that stretch we didn’t take care of is that the stretch that we turn the ball over a couple times yeah we didn’t take care took uh care of the ball as well we didn’t execute with urgency got we got to be better we got

To be better uh no matter if we if we don’t score we got to we got to get a shot up you know um yeah that’s pretty much it we got to take care of the ball and try to get us the best shot possible sometimes it’s

Going to go in sometimes not going to go in but like if you don’t shoot the ball you don’t even have a chance to score the ball um that’s it what did you think of Doc’s first game and how do you feel like your team responded to him it was great it

Was great um everybody have to have patience it’s new the way we play uh the way we defend um no it’s going it’s it’s going to take a while to get used you know we slowly slowly adjusting change a couple stuff um you know coach staff got to have

Patience with the players players got to have patience with the coach staff but I feel like for the first game it was good like we we came right out of the gate played good basketball moved the ball got a big lead but then we wasn’t able

To score the ball um defensively we were good made they made tough shot they made a lot of tough shots um transition we got to Sprint spring back better take care of our basket better um offensively he’s just letting us play free you know letting us play free uh whenever we need

To slow down and call to play he’s going to call play for like it was was good you know we’re going to keep on getting better we have another one against Portland um I’m excited I’m excited for for what the future holds Co mentioned this morning um the two-man game and

Between you and Dame especially but in general how important that was he said to a shoot around he was like you guys just did it for 10 minutes you know kind of over and over just I know it’s been an area that you wanted to see Improvement on what kind of convers

Ations or things um have you heard from him as far as improving that or working on the two men from a coach U yeah he just tells me um to go more go more to my hand off set more screen roll kick the ball ahead more whenever I see D go

Say one for D and you know try to make something happen just try to keep on building that connection as much as possible and I think we’ve done a a great job like from the beginning of the season of where we are right now I think we’ve come together uh

But it’s got to it’s got to be more it’s got to be more we have 30 something games left plus playoffs we got to keep on coming together you know obviously like you know I have a great connection with um Chris but we’ve been together 11

Years we don’t have 11 years now you know in 11 years I’m going to be in the island relaxing you know with my kids so we have 35 games to keep on coming together but he he emphasized like go more to Dame you know when I have the

Ball kick the ball ahead of Dame you know set more screens roll out of the PO dribble hand off up like he wants that more and we have to do it more because at the end of the day like when Dame has the ball in the hand and I’m being a

Threat as a roller um we can cause some damage uh D had kind of said like the secrets out cats out of the bag that you guys can actually get down and defend like that that isn’t something that you guys can’t do tonight shows that you

Guys can do it do do you feel like this is something that you guys can build on like that effort tonight against the defending champs on the road like build on that going forward yeah for sure for sure I I didn’t they like the game plan

Is one thing but our effort always got to be there I think we have very very smart players U around the team and sometimes when the game plan is not you know as I believe as accurate sometimes our our effort might not be there and that’s not good that’s bad but like man

Whenever we like come together as a team and we realize like we have to stop a guy as a team or we have to stop the team from playing fast from getting a lot of open threes from driving the like when we come together as a team uh we

Can definitely do it uh but we cannot just pick and choose like in order for you to win you have to do it all the time there’s that you lose games but in order for you to win the high level like there got to be a standard and today

Like I think we set the standard as a team you know hopefully moving forward we can defend the same way there’s going to be a lot of games that we are going to win we’re going to blow out teams and there’s going to be a lot of games that

It’s going to be close and we have to you know let our habits that we build throughout the year take over and sometimes just our talent is going to take over Dame is going to get the ball and he’s going to make something happen but as I said we set the standard today

Uh we can definitely defend and moving forward I don’t see there’s no there’s no excuse for us not to defend this is your first time going to Portland facing the Blazers since the trade um in Portland what are your thoughts going into that match up as far

As you know Dame returning back to Portland for the first time um obviously there’s going to be um you know excitement hype around the game like always um I try to stay away from that don’t follow it as much um but you know like it’s going to be

Kind of like a how you say a Revenge game uh for D we got to try to feed him as much as we as we can uh but we not going to we’re not going to try to mess around with the game we going to go out there

Play good basketball win the game and we know that you know D is going to you know come play the right way uh do whatever it takes to win uh and we just we got to get we got to get a win for him how much do you enjoy these matchups

Against nicoa just given how many times over the last couple years you guys have faced off against each other International stage NBA whatever it’s always it’s always great man it’s always good to play against the best players in the world um you know it’s it shows you what you’re build of

You know um playing again like playing against a guy like Nicola like you have to bring your your a game like you cannot mess around you know um It Go vice versa not just Nikolai all of the guys from Jo from luk from KD from the

LeBron like you have to be on point you know so whenever I have opportunity to be in a game like that I always like um I I love it you know good or bad some days you’re going to have a good game some days you’re not uh but this how

Many times can you say that you played against the best players in the world and you uh you know went head-to-head with them so I try to thrive in those moment as much as I can and learn as much as I can and hopefully can uh help

Me moving forward in my career and help me to be better with my team

Giannis speaks with media following Monday’s game.

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