Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Press Conference | 2.12.24

Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Press Conference | 2.12.24

They go up 2118 late first quarter they don’t score a field goal for 2 minutes into the second they don’t score again for another three minutes over five where that you don’t allow a field goal and that that turns the game uh just sort of what worked defensively there to

To Really limit that I think guys were playing hard U closing Gap um obviously try to make it as tough as possible um make the non Shooters shoot make the shooters um put it put the ball on the floor Show crowd as much as possible and at the end of the day

They have a team that everybody’s going to push the ball you know Show crowd early you know make them make that extra pass make them make that extra effort um and know we got probably we got lucky um it was a stretch for them that we were making it tough and they

Wasn’t able probably to score the ball so that’s why that happened uh holding opponent under 100 two games in a row you’ve won two games in a row it’s been a little while since you guys have stacked at least a couple wins just what does it feel like to to get a couple

Wins in the win column but in the way that you’ve done it um feel it feels good um you know I I’ve said this I don’t me personally I don’t care I don’t mind uh if we stuck two in a row if we

Stuck five in a row if we stack 10 in a row that means nothing to me um I just will love when the team is you know heading to towards the right direction and I feel like as a team we are doing that there’s going to be good

Nights they’re going to be bad nights but as a team we are building good habits like we are competing you know we’re moving the ball guys are run to the corner we’re spacing the floor better uh Dame is able to operate uh freely Brook is pacing the floor like

Down shot like we we we are playing good basketball so and we are playing with like high energy right now we are competing in a high level that’s all I care about even the games that we lost thought I thought we competed in a high

Level um I’ve been part of a team that won 18 in a row right we won 18 in a row last year 17 I think one year we won 18 in a row last at home against Dallas and last year we won 16 or 17 in a row we yeah

That means absolutely nothing um we we don’t even remember when it happened you know so um but again hey we we we we build good habits tomorrow we have another one we have a tough opponent a team that plays hard hopefully we can come here and play

A good game and U try to get mov uh nicholo is obviously just so talented offensively he can score he can pass he can kind of you know do a little bit of everything um what do you enjoy about watching Brooke defend him uh oh obviously is um as big as

Nicola makes it as tough as possible for him um I don’t think there’s a lot of players that can guard jic one1 in the league and Brook there was a lot of possession that he did that um and he just makes as tough as possible he could

He can contest actually now let’s start from the beginning he can take that bump now lot of can take that bump down low and then still contest the shot and he’s able to do that but Nicholas is very very talented uh you you you have to even though I think

Brook is doing an excellent job you know when we play them to guard them one-onone like you have to you have to help you have to make it a little bit crowded um he not he not the one man job it’s the whole team got to kind of make

It as tough as possible but he’s as you said he’s very talented he’s going to make shots he’s going to pass the ball uh he’s going to get to the free throw line uh but you got to just keep on you know um being there keep on

Competing and just try to make the tough as possible for him when you had one defensive player of the year the other year uh you know like a big part of your role was kind of roaming defensively um we just talked to Doc and he said that’s

One thing that if we can do on Knights we’re going to try to let Giannis do again be you know that RoR defensively um how have you felt that maybe different from the start of the year with Griff to the last couple weeks with dcin to do some of that again

Um yeah I think um for a lot of uh years before grief before duck um that was my that was my job and I think I I kind of figured out you know uh he also allowed me not to be in foul trouble and also allowed me to you know be in

Passing lanes and distra their offense as much as possible but um also I enjoy you know taking the challenge and guarding guys oneon-one I think I think think um you know some nights they’re going to you know they’re going to embarrass me some nights I’m

Going to do a good job and that’s the NBA you know they’re very very talented everybody that’s in the NBA but uh I I enjoy just disrupting people’s offense and being as I said being passionate putting my hands on uh the ball and try to go get rebounds and you

Know starting the offense because you know when I’m in the paint I can also as I said rebound the ball I start the offense like and also so there’s going to be times that um yeah I have to sit down move my feet and you know guard you know one of the best

Players but hey whatever Dak tells me to do I’ll do I’m ready I’m ready to do both I’m getting prepared to do both you know um so whatever whatever I have to do I’m going try my best Google says it was 16 straight last year for what it’s worth 16 I’m these

Last two games with the sub 100 points yall allowed have you noticed a big difference in the way you’re defending these last two games or is this kind of continuing the progress y’all were showing on that road trip defensively what you think I think it’s probably we didn’t change nothing we just getting

Better each game um we had two days to actually not two days one day um to kind of go back and practice and talk about things watch film watch film yesterday and today of things that we can do better defensively and I think guys are

Just being on the same page you know uh um coach Dak Hold Us in a high standard like he wants us to defend like he he doesn’t take you know lack of effort as an like he doesn’t doesn’t really care like if you’re in the Flor you got to you got to

Give your best you got to be um being um in loads you know you got to go back and rebound you got to help your teammate you got to scramble you know you got to kick out the small like he wants you to be in a high alert

Defensively and that’s what we are trying to do and two games now show and you know maybe moving forward it doesn’t show but right now we are trying to you know kind of you know help one another defensively and just make it as tough as possible but this is is team

Defense like nobody can do it by himself and right now I feel like we we are buying in that philosophy as a team that we have to help Brooke today tomorrow it’s going to be jimmmy Butler I don’t know who’s going to guard Jimmy Butler

We got to help Beasley Jay me you know like it’s not going to be one person on his own I feel like previous years is before he was kind of like one guy had to take the individual Challenge and try to limit the you know the their player

But no now it’s team defense like what we what we do what do we want from this team what do who do we want to shoot the ball we’re going to do whatever it takes Tak for the ball to get there and was like we have Smart guys on the team from

Uh from Jay Brook um Pat Beverly like they talk so much defensively that he helps the whole team being engaged like I feel like Pat Uh Beverly in the last two games like every position I’m defense he talk me like you got to be there you got to go there you got you

Know and he keeps me in you know alert but he doesn’t do it only with me it does it with the whole team and like when you have people like that that also helps it’s almost like you have a coach out there with you playing so again I

Feel like we are we’re going to to towards the right path here um hopefully we can stay on this path and make something happen going off of that Giannis the connectivity that you and your teammates seem to have tonight just was at a really high level what would

You I know you kind of said it in that last response but what would you say is part of the success in that right now and how do you suain suain that connectivity just move the ball move the ball we got to move the ball you know

And I think I’m be honestly like having Dame out there it makes the game easier simple as that you know the last two games we had Dame out there he’s been aggressive getting downhill moving the ball throwing the ball ahead um he just makes the game easier for everybody and

I think guys are running to the corner you know spacing the floor there’s nobody that stops at the break everybody space the floor all the way down for them to operate for me to operate you know and if we cannot operate that means that corner guys are open if the corner

Guys don’t want to shoot the ball Drive the ball get the ball in the paint make something happen you know like we are all on the same page right now so it feels good it feels good uh the only thing that I don’t like is that um we

Have two games to the other game I feel like I wish we had more because we are we are getting it you know we are getting where we want to go but it’s okay you know we have another one tomorrow uh hopefully we can play good basketball continue that

Connectivity do itth tomorrow do it at Memphis then get some break come back and do it again against U Minnesota Yiannis sorry this is kind of a random question but I I wanted to ask jic has is kind of established a reputation at this point for being one

Of the most perpetually scratched up bigs in the league on his arms I know you’ve also had a number of like scratches on your arms over the years I was just curious if if you see that at all as as a badge of honor in terms of

Being a tough guard being difficult to rebound against that kind of thing um no I feel like um guys like him um it’s it’s they’re hard like it’s it’s hard to guard them and sometimes you going to do whatever you can to do to stop them even sometimes scratch them uh

But uh I think you see scratches because he’s has a light uh skin than me so yeah uh I have I have a lot of uh scratch in my arms too my significant other think is sexy so I love it um but yeah you know sometimes sometimes with people try to stop you

They’re going to do whatever you can which sometimes they going they going to scratch you a lot of people that go to the free throw line a lot get scratched a lot

Giannis Antetokounmpo speaks with media following the Bucks’ victory over the Nuggets.

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