Giannis Antetokounmpo is etching his name amongst the all-time greats

Giannis Antetokounmpo answers the call in the biggest game of his career to date. 

Heading into Game 3, with the Milwaukee Bucks‘ backs against the wall, I’m not sure anyone could’ve confidently predicted what actually transpired Sunday night. In his biggest game to date, Giannis Antetokounmpo powered the Bucks as they held serve on their home floor to cut the series deficit to 2-1.

In what many, including myself, categorized as a “legacy game,” Giannis more than answered the call for the Bucks. In fact, in the process, he made history as just the second player in NBA history to put together back-to-back 40-plus point and 10-plus rebound games.

The only other player in NBA history to do that was Shaquille O’Neal.

Giannis was the best player on the floor and that’s been the case for the past two games. An argument could be made that if it wasn’t for a historically good shooting night from the Phoenix Suns in Game 2, the Bucks would be up 2-1 in this series.

Regardless, the Bucks are still in a series hole. But the good news is that they could even it all up with another strong performance on their home floor in Game 4. And the Bucks did enjoy a return to their homecourt.

Specifically Khris Middleton and Jrue Hoiday. After the duo struggled mightily in Game 2, they bounced back solidly in the Bucks’ Game 3 win. Holiday finished with 21 points, nine assists, and five rebounds on 8-14 shooting from the field while Middleton added 18 points, six assists, and seven rebounds on 6-14 shooting from the field.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an all-time NBA Finals performance

Giannis rose above all and finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists on 14-23 shooting from the field. In the series, through three games, Giannis is now averaging 34 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists on 63 percent shooting from the field. He’s also averaging nearly 16 free-throw attempts per contest.

Right before our eyes, we’re watching one of the greatest NBA Finals performance in history. And it would’ve been a shame if it continued to be wasted. Although, with the Bucks striking back in Gmae 3, Milwaukee now has a fighting chance to get back into this series before it heads back to Phoenix for Game 5.

A little over a week ago, Giannis suffered what appeared to be a bad lower leg injury. In an instant, it seemed as if we were awaiting reports that he would miss the remainder of the playoffs and (quite possibly) a full year of basketball.

However, instead, Giannis is miraculously putting together one of the greatest performances in NBA history on the biggest of stages. And, hopefully, in the process, he’ll also be able to deliver the Bucks an NBA championship for the first time in nearly a half century.