Giannis had EASIEST Path to Title EVER

[TheMoneyShot]

I'll agree with Krak on this.... everything lined up perfectly for Milwaukee... they really weren't tested.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

It's true. But I heard Tim Legler talk about this. That view will fade over time and be forgotten.

In every playoff series (any sport), there's an element of "survive-and-advance." The BEST team is not always the CHAMPIONSHIP team. The CHAMPION is the team that navigates their way through.

In that regard, I take nothing away from the Bucks. Had to beat the Nets in a nail-biter. Giannis had to play thru injury, some of which we may never know.

Durability is a skill. Not everyone has it! Team-work is a skill. Not everyone has it!

Props to the 2021 Bucks, NBA champions! No asterisk.

[ChiLLx]

Did the OP just start watching the NBA this year? Go back and look who the Lebron-led Heat teams beat in the East to get to those finals. It was nobody. Their biggest challenge was a Pacers team with a younger Paul George and an old David West.

Do not even get me started on the Lebron Cavs teams who nobody can even remember who they played in the East for years before the finals vs. Golden State.

[jjgold]

There’s no easy path wedding titles in any sport Most of your dopes can’t even dribble a ball
And you are evaluating basketball players

[The Kraken]

Did the OP just start watching the NBA this year? Go back and look who the Lebron-led Heat teams beat in the East to get to those finals. It was nobody. Their biggest challenge was a Pacers team with a younger Paul George and an old David West.

Do not even get me started on the Lebron Cavs teams who nobody can even remember who they played in the East for years before the finals vs. Golden State.

I know how ya feel, you're just making my point even more for me tho. Man we totally agree bout them Cavs teams and how easy they had it. AND even those Cavs teams, they had it tougher than these Bucks. It just is what it is.

As Chucky said, in due time we'll stop analyzing this seties and the Bucks will simply be the champs but for the foreseeable future we cant forget that this was the biggest cake walk in history of sports championships

[milwaukee mike]

some good points made in here

i would like to point out though that most people say that the bucks were healthy through the playoffs

um... they lost one of their starters (divincenzo) for the entire playoffs, and giannis was out for the last 2 games of ecf, wasn't totally himself the first couple games of nba finals

losing divincenzo isn't the same as losing kyrie, but he is a good all-around player that makes the bucks better when he plays. took a while to adjust without him, which is why barkley kept saying the bucks were playing "dumb", which was true

[stevek173]

So true.

If Kyrie didn't go down and Harden wasn't a shell of himself the fuks had ZERO chance.

Also if AD didn't go down LAL probably would've taken them.

Doesn't feel real.

[bigtymer56]

I know how ya feel, you're just making my point even more for me tho. Man we totally agree bout them Cavs teams and how easy they had it. AND even those Cavs teams, they had it tougher than these Bucks. It just is what it is.

As Chucky said, in due time we'll stop analyzing this seties and theBucks will simply be the champs but for the foreseeable future we cant forget that this was the biggest cake walk in history of sports championships

Yup in a few years, all people will remember about this playoffs is Giannis dominating the Finals, all the injuries league wide and maybe Philly choking (esp. if Simmons gets traded this offseason).

[Hman]

ANY team who might have won it this year had easiest path ever

All crap teams who would get smoked in the past

[pabonaparte]

No, no. He did nothing noteworthy.

He just stayed healthy. And made shots. And free throws. And rebounded. And was the best defensive player in every playoff game he took the court. And the best offensive player on his team every other time.

And got the highest individual game grade second only to Lebron James 5 years ago.

All in all, quite a pedestrian performance. Nothing to see here.

Kudos, he didnt join a superteam

Guess what, there were NO superteams this year

They beat the Heat who have 0 star players

They best the Nets who had 1 star player

They beat the Hawks who have 0 star players



and they beat the Suns who have Maybe 1 star player

So lets not act like the Greek Freak took on a superteam and won. They just had the easiest path to a championship ever

[milwaukee mike]

i think the "easiest path to a championship" is when you assemble 3 of the top 10 players in the world in their primes

so those miami heat teams had the easiest path, all they had to do was beat teams they were expected to beat

the bucks had to beat miami, then brooklyn (as an underdog), then atlanta (as an underdog after giannis got hurt), then phoenix (as an underdog)

so having to come back from down 2-0 twice, and being a serious underdog in the last 3 series, that's an easy path? ok

[Hman]

In a league that used to be showered with Superstars, there are now fewer than ever.

Big difference between a star, and a superstar in the NBA.

There's plenty of star players.

But a Superstar = Franchise player = One of greatest

One who can turn a team around completely virtually all by himself.

Whos left in the NBA that fits this category?

Lebron
Durant
Maybe AD
Maybe Giannis
Maybe Luka soon

Curry?
Nope.
Kawhi?
Nope

They can't bring a team from worst to nearly first

This league continues to fall in many ways

[bigtymer56]

In a league that used to be showered with Superstars, there are now fewer than ever.

Big difference between a star, and a superstar in the NBA.

There's plenty of star players.

But a Superstar = Franchise player = One of greatest

One who can turn a team around completely virtually all by himself.

Whos left in the NBA that fits this category?

Lebron
Durant
Maybe AD
Maybe Giannis
Maybe Luka soon

Curry?
Nope.
Kawhi?
Nope

They can't bring a team from worst to nearly first

This league continues to fall in many ways

Harden.
How bout Jokic or Embiid, if they can keep up the level of play they had this year?

Curry isn't Superstar? Did you actually watch the Warriors play this season? Carried a lottery team to a winning record and a shot at the playoffs.

[cincinnatikid513]

yah like those jordan bulls teams had alot of competition in the mid 90s

[lakerboy]

yah like those jordan bulls teams had alot of competition in the mid 90s

Jordan beat plenty of hall of famers in the finals and on the way.

[lonegambler23]

people actually watched this garbage series? 😂

[Hman]

Jordan beat plenty of hall of famers in the finals and on the way.

Yep

[Hman]

Harden.
How bout Jokic or Embiid, if they can keep up the level of play they had this year?

Curry isn't Superstar? Did you actually watch the Warriors play this season? Carried a lottery team to a winning record and a shot at the playoffs.

It's easier to break down than people make it.

Just ask yourself this: is this player in question in the same league as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and other all-time elites.

The answer is no to the players you named

Curry best shooter we've seen and can light up the scoreboard, but he cannot turn a cellar dweller team into a division leader merely by himself like the 2 guys mentioned, or Hakeem, or Shaq, Bird, and others.

[shadymcgrady]

James harden

Biggest loser to make an all star team since Gilbert arenas. All that beef between him and giannis as if they were equals or rivals up in smoke now. Has done nothing but choke when it mattered, ran to a superteam once dantoni left Houston. Has never done anything but pad regular season stats under dantoni catering an entire offense to him. Giannis just proved to be everything harden is not and never will be

[bigtymer56]

James harden

Biggest loser to make an all star team since Gilbert arenas. All that beef between him and giannis as if they were equals or rivals up in smoke now. Has done nothing but choke when it mattered, ran to a superteam once dantoni left Houston. Has never done anything but pad regular season stats under dantoni catering an entire offense to him. Giannis just proved to be everything harden is not and never will be

Love Giannis, but lets be real. If Harden or Irving are healthy for that entire series, we're probably talking about he needs to become a better shooter, cant carry a team to championship and coach Bud is looking for a new job.

As for Harden, I know everybody hates him...but you cant deny is he one the best offensive players in the league. Maybe he didn't actually care about being on superteam but he actually just wanted to be with D'Antoni (assistant coach for the Nets this year) again.

[d2bets]

This is not true.

But is interesting to consider that they were about 6 inches away from a first-round defeat. If Durant steps back another 7 inches, Bucks are being talked of as an abject failure of a team. Truly a game of inches.

[bigtymer56]

It's easier to break down than people make it.

Just ask yourself this: is this player in question in the same league as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and other all-time elites.

The answer is no to the players you named

Curry best shooter we've seen and can light up the scoreboard, but he cannot turn a cellar dweller team into a division leader merely by himself like the 2 guys mentioned, or Hakeem, or Shaq, Bird, and others.

By these standards...you need to take Lebron off your list. He can't carry a team alone anymore.

Also Davis...in LA, he's had Lebron. The one year in NO they were good, he had Cousins.

[marcoloco]

Suns had things going in their favor as well.
No AD on the LAL
No Murray for DEN
No Kawai for LAC

We all know if Kawai was there Suns would have lost the ECF

[lakerboy]

Suns had things going in their favor as well.
No AD on the LAL
No Murray for DEN
No Kawai for LAC

We all know if Kawai was there Suns would have lost the ECF

Yes and the clippers would have won the finals

[Hman]

By these standards...you need to take Lebron off your list. He can't carry a team alone anymore.

Also Davis...in LA, he's had Lebron. The one year in NO they were good, he had Cousins.

Not basing it on age

Overall
Career

[milwaukee mike]

Love Giannis, but lets be real. If Harden or Irving are healthy for that entire series, we're probably talking about he needs to become a better shooter, cant carry a team to championship and coach Bud is looking for a new job.

As for Harden, I know everybody hates him...but you cant deny is he one the best offensive players in the league. Maybe he didn't actually care about being on superteam but he actually just wanted to be with D'Antoni (assistant coach for the Nets this year) again.

the guy is a lazy loser that makes his games unwatchable

nobody wants to see a guy create contact with ball fakes on 3 pointers just to shoot 40 free throws in a game, that's not basketball

[TheMoneyShot]

Jordan beat plenty of hall of famers in the finals and on the way.

Yep

And I will say this... I remember watching those games on TV as a kid. You could cut the electricity with a knife... those Finals were so exciting to watch! Superior athletes going toe to toe...

I don't even know what the hell you call this now... that were watching for Finals??? lol Not even close to the energy or excitement.

[Art Vandelay]

facts are facts

People wanna suck him off for not joining a superteam

Well guess what, his championship is barely legit bc while his avg team stayed healthy, other teams were decimated with injuries

So congrats on the the easiest title win ever

Newsflash... HE was injured! Remember, his leg bent backwards - the Bucks closed out the Hawks (who took out the top seed in Philly btw) without Giannis. Early in the Suns series he wasn't even close to 100% but he gutted it out. This has to be one of the most ridiculous, clueless posts I've ever seen on this site - LOL...

[thomorino]

This is a dumb thread because it ignores the fact that Giannis had a serious injury that forced Milwaukee to play multiple games without him. And Giannis clearly wasn’t fully healthy in several finals games. Milwaukee didn’t beat any great teams that were healthy, but when your best player misses multiple critical games with an injury, saying that team had the easiest path ever to a championship is dumb.

[ThaTopMoron]

Kudos, he didnt join a superteam

Guess what, there were NO superteams this year

They beat the Heat who have 0 star players

They best the Nets who had 1 star player

They beat the Hawks who have 0 star players

and they beat the Suns who have Maybe 1 star player

So lets not act like the Greek Freak took on a superteam and won. They just had the easiest path to a championship ever

SHUT UP

did they go 16-1 and laugh their way to a title or did they have to fight

[ThaTopMoron]

facts are facts

People wanna suck him off for not joining a superteam

Well guess what, his championship is barely legit bc while his avg team stayed healthy, other teams were decimated with injuries

So congrats on the the easiest title win ever

remember all the teams who were injured on the warriors trips thru west into the finals... then cavs injured in finals and then outmatched heavily in 17 and even more so in 18?

and the bucks were down 0-2 and didn't have homecourt vs the suns and giannis was a huge ? going into the series and he ended up with what... 2 40 pt games and 50 in the clincher? all while being limited game 1???

LOL

this thread is a joke

[The Kraken]

You all are making point without realizing you're doing it

Hman gets it, the NBA is weak. It doesn't matter who won this year, it was gonna be a cakewalk bc the overall quality was terrible. It doesnt matter that Phx had it easy too, or that Giannis was hurt, or that blah blah blah... That all makes my point

Quit being fan boys

Giannis had it easiest of all champions to date.

Had the Suns won, they too would've had it easiest bc reality is altho this Bucks team was the beat team in the finals, they're actually not that good when compared to past champions.

And why you bringing up the Bucks were down 0-2, or Giannis had two 40+ pt games????? Have you had your coffee yet?

I didnt say Giannis player bad, only that he played bad teams. jfc

[milwaukee mike]

You all are making point without realizing you're doing it

Hman gets it, the NBA is weak. It doesn't matter who won this year, it was gonna be a cakewalk bc the overall quality was terrible. It doesnt matter that Phx had it easy too, or that Giannis was hurt, or that blah blah blah... That all makes my point

Quit being fan boys

Giannis had it easiest of all champions to date.

Had the Suns won, they too would've had it easiest bc reality is altho this Bucks team was the beat team in the finals, they're actually not that good when compared to past champions.

And why you bringing up the Bucks were down 0-2, or Giannis had two 40+ pt games????? Have you had your coffee yet?

I didnt say Giannis player bad, only that he played bad teams. jfc

those celtics teams in the 1950s were shooting 35%... there were only 8 teams in the nba and the top 2 teams got a bye

so i would say the EASIEST path to a championship was when you only had to win 8 games against some scrawny, unathletic white guys

people think things were better in the past, but the money just wasn't there to encourage players to be better athletes... any of these 2021 teams would destroy teams from prior generations

[ThaTopMoron]

You all are making point without realizing you're doing it

Hman gets it, the NBA is weak. It doesn't matter who won this year, it was gonna be a cakewalk bc the overall quality was terrible. It doesnt matter that Phx had it easy too, or that Giannis was hurt, or that blah blah blah... That all makes my point

Quit being fan boys

Giannis had it easiest of all champions to date.

Had the Suns won, they too would've had it easiest bc reality is altho this Bucks team was the beat team in the finals, they're actually not that good when compared to past champions.

And why you bringing up the Bucks were down 0-2, or Giannis had two 40+ pt games????? Have you had your coffee yet?

I didnt say Giannis player bad, only that he played bad teams. jfc

being down 0-2 twice in 7 game series isn't an easy path

[cincinnatikid513]

are the ships worth double if u go thru harder teams