NBA fans mercillessly trolled Giannis Antetokounmpo for his free throw routine, noting how the 110m Hurdles event finishes quicker.
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The Milwaukee Bucks were crowned 2021 NBA champions, ending their 50-year drought. The Greek Freak won his first Finals MVP at the age of 26. Giannis had staggering statistics during his performances in the Finals.
The former DPOY joined the ranks of Shaquille O’ Neal and Michael Jordan with his Finals performances. Giannis had 3 games with 40-points, including Game 6, where he torched a 50-point performance.
According to @EliasSports over the last 50 years, only 2 players have scored 33 points in a half of a Finals game: Giannis and Michael Jordan. pic.twitter.com/XIkQhmopcf
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 21, 2021
Though Giannis’ Finals performances silenced his critics and naysayers, the Greek Freak was under the radar during the playoffs, owing to his poor performances in the past playoffs.
One of Giannis’ major limitations as a player has been his free-throw shooting. There is no doubt that the superstar is a dominant force in the paint.
However, the 5x NBA All-Star has struggled to shoot the ball since the very beginning.
Giannis Antentokounmpo violated the 10 second rule during the playoffs at least twice
Though the Bucks swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, Giannis had a tough time shooting from the free-throw line, shooting a disappointing 58.7%.
The Bucks superstar had a whole drill that he would perform before shooting the ball. The drill included standing at the line practicing the free throw motion before the referee gave the ball. This was followed by dribbling for a few seconds and then shooting the ball.
The 26-year old was even called for his violations during a few instances. There is no doubt that the crowd on the road can be brutal, especially during the playoffs. Free throw shooting is definitely more of a mental game, as mentioned by many NBA veterans in the past.
Thus during away matches, Giannis would have a tough time with the crowd having a 10 seconds countdown that would undoubtedly be faster than the clock.
This is what it sounds like in Barclays Center when Giannis Antetokounmpo is at the free throw line tonight. pic.twitter.com/T8COLQUM7V
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 20, 2021
If this wasn’t enough, the internet, which is quick to catch on the minutest details, dug up a video of a 110m hurdle race and put Giannis shooting a free throw in the same frame.