NBA Playoffs: Giannis Powers Bucks to 3-1 Lead Over Celtics

To say that Giannis Antetokounmpo has been “unstoppable” in the ongoing NBA playoffs is bordering on becoming an understatement at this point. He was a one-man wrecking crew on Monday as the Bucks surged to a 3-1 lead over the Celtics thanks to a 113-101 Game 4 win.

Very few legendary NBA players can be called “unstoppable.” Names like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a couple, come to mind. Soon, probably even now, you can already add Giannis Antetokounmpo to that elite list. In the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. the Celtics, he’s simply been a Greek God amongst men when he takes the court and decides to score at will. He’s too big for guards to face up against him in the high post and simply to quick and agile for bigger players to stick with him in the open court or when he drives to the hoop.

To the Celtics’ credit, they’ve tried to slow him down, but to no avail. They’ve sicked Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum on Giannis, but at the end of the day, Antetokounmpo would not be denied. Case in point, he went 15-for-22 from the field to finish tonight’s game with 39 points, along with 16 rebounds, four assists, two 3-pointers, one steal and one block. Unless the Celtics either find the luck of the Irish and figure out a way to slow down the “Greek Freak,” this series could soon come to an abrupt end.

Kyrie Irving had a rough shooting night, going 7-of-22 from the field to end the night with 23 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. He’s a superstar in his own right, that’s for sure, but it appears that Antetokounmpo is simply playing on another, much higher level of basketball right now.

The Warriors were led by Kevin Durant, who had 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Stephen Curry bounced back in this game with 30 points, four rebounds, eight dimes and four 3s. Still, even with the two stars combining for 64 points, the Warriors were unable to match up well with the Rockets, who out “small-balled” them in this one, often using P.J. Tucker as their small-ball center, allowing them to push the tempo at a blistering pace.

It looks like that this Western Conference series in the NBA playoffs might be headed down the wire. Expect both teams to put up a massive effort in the pivotal Game 5.