Few people know how painful it is to Antetokounmpo s 2021 finals

The current network environment, when it comes to Antetokounmpo, it is basically polarized. Some people think Antetokounmpo is undisputedly strong and is still the star of the first tier of the league; others will always keep Antetokounmpo dirty and cannot tolerate any refutation.

Is Antetokounmpo dirty or strong? Everyone has a scale in their heart. What I want to talk about today is Antetokounmpo's spiritual attributes, which may have been underestimated by everyone. In the 2021 finals, many people don’t know what kind of pain Antetokounmpo plays with.

Recently, talking about his injury in the 2021 Finals, Antetokounmpo said: "I can still feel it. I think I will always feel it until I die."

Antetokounmpo's injury was when he was fighting for rebounds with Capela in the fourth game of the Eastern Conference Finals. He accidentally caused excessive stretching of his left knee when he landed and withdrew on the spot. And then missed Game 5 and Game 6, but fortunately the Bucks still eliminated the Hawks in the end.

Under the circumstances at that time, no one knew whether Antetokounmpo could come back. The Bucks didn’t know, the medical team didn’t know, and even Antetokounmpo himself didn’t know. The only thing he could feel was the constant severe pain from his knees, which didn't give him much time to recover.

For comparison, George was also hit by Dort in 23 years, causing his knee to be overstretched. The injury on March 22 led to George's season reimbursement and missed the first round of the playoffs. Later George said that even if the Clippers reached the finals, he would not return.

George said that if Antetokounmpo's situation was really in the finals. So, there was no choice. In the first game of the finals, Antetokounmpo made a comeback from the front line, shocking everyone. When people were still worried about whether Antetokounmpo could be in 100%, he handed in 20 points and 17 rebounds in the first game. This is indeed not a complete Antetokounmpo, but it is scary enough. An Antetokounmpo said in an interview after the finals: "Basically, if I overstretch my leg, I will be done. The thing that protects my medial collateral ligament or anterior cruciate ligament is gone. When you overstretch, there is something in your leg to protect you, but it has been torn."

In fact, for a long time after the finals, Antetokounmpo's knees were in a state of soreness and injury, and he was basically recovering his knees throughout the offseason.

With such pain, Antetokounmpo made full firepower in the second game of the finals, with 15 of 22 shots, scoring 42 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. The Suns hope Antetokounmpo is in a state of fighting alone. This strategy is successful. After the first two games, the Suns led the Bucks 2-0.

But you all know the plot that followed. The Bucks miraculously made four consecutive games and won the championship 4-2. Antetokounmpo in the third game scored 41 points and 13 rebounds again. In the fourth game, Middleton scored 40 points, and Antetokounmpo scored the most comfortable comprehensive data of 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists. Antetokounmpo scored 32 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in the Battle of Tianwang Mountain. Booker scored 40 points, but unfortunately he scored in the empty score. The Bucks successfully won the match point. In the sixth game of the

, Antetokounmpo played his career battle, which is also the most classic championship point battle in the NBA. Under the tremendous pressure and knee pain, Antetokounmpo made 17 of 19 free throws this night, with an incredible free throw performance.

You should know that his free throw percentage in the regular season was only 68.5%, and his free throw percentage in the playoffs was 58.7%. It seemed that Antetokounmpo kept the accuracy of his entire career on the night he won the championship.

In the end, Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks in the championship game. After 1993, only two people scored 50+ in the finals, one was James in 2018, and the other was Antetokounmpo.

In the 2021 Finals, Antetokounmpo averaged nearly 40 minutes per game, contributing 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 61.8%. It is definitely a dominant performance that has been recorded in history, and his knee pain that accompanied the entire finals is even more legendary.

For a longer career, even to make more money in the future, Antetokounmpo can choose to reimburse the season after the Eastern Conference Finals, and no one will say he avoids fighting. But for some obsessions that cannot be abandoned and in order to pursue a higher mountain, Antetokounmpo took the risk and created a legend.

On the road to the championship, you must be tenacious, fearless, have the awareness of sacrifice, and have to pay the corresponding price. No championship is within your reach. The prerequisite for winning is always that you are ready.