All the head-scratching has stopped in Milwaukee. All they had to do was go back to the old ways. Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly did. In the league full of 3-point-hogging stars, the Greek Freak embraced his inner bully and dragged the Bucks out of the dirt. The OKC Thunder had no answer to Giannis’ dash to the rim and score tactics and he just kept rinsing and repeating it throughout the night. He did it so much so that Giannis is now being compared to the most dominant player the game has ever seen — Shaquille O’Neal.

During an appearance on Fan Duel’s Run It Back, DeMarcus Cousins was asked about Giannis and the Bucks after their success in NBA Cup. Reflecting on the kind of supremacy, Giannis showed on the hardwood, the 34-year-old stated, “I think he showed us how dominant he is as a player once again. I think I’m looking at a more of a team aspect, type deal. I think this was great for their team.” Boogie’s praise for the 30-year-old didn’t stop there.

“I think this is great for the Milwaukee Bucks. But, obviously, with Giannis, he put on the show, he dominated,” Cousins said. “He was a one man wrecking crew. I mean Literally. At this point, as far as, you know, just being physically dominant, I think in this era of basketball, he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to, like, a Shaquille O’Neal.” Now, that’s a compliment no one can beat. Like the 7-foot-1 Lakers legend, Giannis was a powerhouse that the Bucks needed and he lived up to the expectations. And as a true leader, Giannis didn’t take all the credit for himself.

Giannis Antetokounmpo expresses pride in his team

Last night, the T-Mobile Arena crowd was filled with hope until halftime, as the Bucks led by just a point (51-50). However, after the third quarter that hope faded as the away team took control with a 77-64 score. Soon, the Bucks secured a dominant 97-81 victory, with Giannis stealing the show by recording an impressive triple-double with a game-high 26-19-10 stat line.

Following their massive win after three years, Giannis expressed high regard for his team. “I’m so proud of the group,” the 8-time All-Star said in the postgame interview. “Everybody was extremely locked in.” Thrilled with the achievement, he added, “We came in, we were focused, played great basketball, and we were able to win. We had this goal as a team, and we accomplished it.”

via Imago

The team didn’t have an ideal start, going 2-8 in the first ten games. But they worked hard to turn things around. With a strong presence like Giannis anchoring both ends of the court, it never seemed like a tall task for the Bucks to defeat their Western rivals.