VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, FRANCE — Of all the body language options Giannis Antetokounmpo could have chosen, a thumbs-up was the least expected.
A thumbs-down would have been the most accurate. His Greek team had just fallen to Spain 84-77 on Tuesday and is now in serious danger of being eliminated before the knockout rounds of the 2024 Olympic Basketball Tournament because of its 0-2 record. A shrug would have been perfect, like a quiet way of acknowledging the lack of elite talent around him — let alone fellow NBA players — that makes it mighty hard to keep up in this deep field.
Instead, after the Milwaukee Bucks’ two-time MVP weaved his way around the mixed zone inside the Pierre Mauroy Stadium without stopping to talk to any of the assembled media, he responded ever-so-briefly to a greeting from yours truly by giving a thumbs-up, a nod and a hasty exit thereafter.
Suffice it to say, Giannis was in a mood. And who could blame him?
These non-American NBA superstars who play for their countries and are so often surrounded by players who never played in the Association — or merely had a cup of coffee there — have quite the competitive challenge. Even with their transcendent talent and the individual greatness that has made them who they are in their day jobs, they find themselves carrying too heavy a load to bear in this setting. Nikola Jokić, the three-time MVP for the Denver Nuggets whose Serbian team was routed by Team USA in its first pool play game Sunday, is in a similar boat.
That was the case yet again in Greece’s game against Spain, as Antetokounmpo did all he could to get the win — almost. With 24 seconds left and Spain up 80-77, Antetokoumpo missed a 3 from the top late in the shot clock that belied his dominance before it. That’s not his game, of course, no matter how hard he has tried to extend his range and expand his already incredible skillset.
Nearly everything that came before then, from his vengeful dunks over Spain’s Santi Aldama (of the Memphis Grizzlies) during their spirited back-and-forth to his masterful handling of double- and triple-teams throughout, was Giannis at his best. He finished with 27 points (12 of 17 shooting), 11 rebounds and three assists while playing 34 minutes and 22 seconds of the 40-minute game.
Greece, which lost to Canada on Saturday, trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half before rallying back in front of another sellout crowd of more than 27,000 people. The “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd were a near constant, but the decibel level peaked with 4:35 left in the fourth. Antetokounmpo, in vintage form, helped get a stop on defense before grabbing the rebound, going coast-to-coast and dunking through Aldama on the left side to tie it 71-71.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added another MONSTER poster to his collection. 😤 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/XLH8ltyjId
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 30, 2024
It should be noted that Aldama had 19 points and 12 rebounds in Spain’s win. He got into it with Antetokounmpo late in the third quarter, when Greece’s basketball Hercules spun in the post and blasted Aldama with one of his granite shoulders in the process. Aldama, who was sent sprawling, complained long and vociferously enough to the officials that the Greek team objected. In other words, go ahead and circle that first Milwaukee-Memphis matchup whenever the NBA schedule comes out.
The Greeks, who play Australia on Friday, now find themselves with little hope of advancing. With 12 teams in all, the two top teams from each of the three groups advance, as well as the top two third-place teams. Beyond the respective records, those final spots are determined by point differential. Greece must defeat Australia to have any chance of reaching the quarterfinals, and even that may not be enough.
In the end, with the typically insightful and accomodating Antetokoumpo continuing his Olympics-long trend of not speaking publicly, FIBA said it best when they posted a postgame tweet that has to feel all too familiar to Antetokoumpo these days.
Giannis with another remarkable performance, but it wasn’t enough for Greece 🇬🇷#Paris2024 x #Basketball pic.twitter.com/gnnw4VbkJA
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 30, 2024
Required reading
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(Photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
