“This isn’t the Cleveland Cavaliers we knew over the past few years, they are a playoffs team”: Giannis Antetokounmpo tips his hat to Darius Garland and co. amid a sensational season

After getting defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo commends Darius Garland and co., calling them “a playoff team”, fighting for the title.

Ever since LeBron James parted ways with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team has been a lottery team at best. Since the 2017-2018 season, the franchise has finished 14^th, 15^th, and 13^th in the Eastern Conference, resulting in top 5 draft picks for three straight campaigns.

However, this season, no one could’ve expected J.B. Bickerstaff’s boys to perform as well as they have been doing. Even without the likes of Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, behind some All-Star caliber players like Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley, the team has been more successful than anybody could’ve imagined.

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Yesterday night, the young Cavs team managed to defeat the defending champions. Behind Kevin Love’s 25-point outing, coming off the bench, Garland’s 19-point performance, Osman’s 23-point game, and Allen’s solid 10/10 double-double, Cleveland managed to grab a huge 115-99 victory over the Bucks.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers are a playoff team, fighting for the title”: Giannis Antetokounmpo on Darius Garland and co.

Cleveland has been stunning several powerhouses this season. And after they defeated Milwaukee, Giannis Anteokounmpo had some high praises for the emerging team. In the postgame interview, the 2-time MVP said:

“This is not the Cleveland we knew over the past few years. They have a good team and we have to respect them more. They’re a playoff team and are fighting for the title themselves.”

Milwaukee head coach Mike Budenholzer also gave his two cents on the Cavaliers’ performance:

“They played lights out tonight. don’t know what the right analogy is, but they played really well. They beat us pretty good. Live ball turnovers is when transition defense is the toughest, and we made a lot of them.”

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This Cleveland Cavaliers team has already won more games than they won in the entire 2020-2021 season. Putting the league on notice, with an incredible 30-19 record, the Cavaliers are 3^rd in the Eastern Conference, above some title favorites like the Nets and the Bucks.