National Basketball Association

Giannis Antetokounmpo's epic performance in Game 2 of NBA Finals not enough for Bucks

Updated Jul. 30, 2021 8:12 a.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Midway through the fourth quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a cramp and needed to rest for a few moments and drink some fluids.

He had poured himself into the game so intensely and driven himself so hard that his body had a physical reaction.

But despite Antetokounmpo's leaving everything on the court and finishing with an incredible, 42-point, 12-rebound performance in 40 minutes, it wasn't enough to prevent the Milwaukee Bucks from falling to the Phoenix Suns 118-108 and sliding into a 2-0 series hole in the NBA Finals.

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Antetokounmpo did everything he could to prevent the Bucks from falling into this position, so they wouldn't return to Milwaukee with an intimidating mountain between them and their first NBA championship in 50 years.

It started Tuesday in Game 1 of the Finals, when he returned after just a week from a hyperextended left knee, an injury that he initially feared would sideline him for a year.

And then in Game 2, he put the team on his shoulders. In the first minute and 30 seconds, Antetokounmpo had two slam dunks, a steal and a blocked shot.

In the third quarter, he scored 20 points on 5-for-6 shooting, the most points in a quarter in the Finals since Michael Jordan had 22 against the Suns in 1993.

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Over that 12-minute period, Antetokounmpo continually attacked the lane as a sea of Suns defenders collapsed on him. He went to the free-throw line 14 times while the entire Suns team attempted only four foul shots in that quarter.

There was only one thing on his mind during that time.

"Personally, I think to win this series, it's going to be all mental," Antetokounmpo said. "I feel like there's so much talent on both teams. It's going to be mental. It's going to be the constant pressure. That's what I want to put to the other team."

He tried to outlast the Suns. He tried to wear them down. But the problem was, he was alone.

His teammates were nowhere to be found. In that third quarter, none of them contributed more than five points, which enabled the Suns to survive the superstar's flurry unscathed, holding on to their double-digit halftime lead heading into the final period.

Antetokounmpo tried to inspire everyone around him to play with his intensity.

In the third quarter, cameras caught him standing in front of his seated teammates, emotionally delivering a speech as he swung his arms and banged his fist against a chair.

"His message was just: It's not about any of us individually. It's about us collectively," said Pat Connaughton, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. "Stay together. Stick together. Take it one possession at a time. That was his message in that timeout."

But it wasn't heard.

Antetokounmpo's teammates failed to give him any offensive help, a death sentence against a Suns team that was blazingly hot from beyond the 3-point line, making 20 of their 40 shots.

Still, that moment from Antetokounmpo meant something.

Connaughton, who has played alongside Antetokounmpo for three seasons, said he has watched the 26-year-old grow as a leader, pointing out that he has always had a "workman-type attitude" but has become increasingly vocal.

Antetokounmpo, however, insists that he hasn't changed.

"I'm still the same guy," he said. "I'm just a little bit older, more mature. I know what I want. I want to win, and I want to enjoy the game as much as possible."

But right now, down two games heading back to Milwaukee, it's far from fun.

Antetokounmpo's famous smile has disappeared under the crushing pressure of his team's championship hopes, which are dangling by a string.

Historically, teams that have a 2-0 lead in the Finals are 31-4, with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2006 Miami Heat, the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers and the 1969 Boston Celtics the exceptions.

"In this situation, I understand there's so much pressure from the whole world, from the media, from the fans," Antetokounmpo said. "But at the end of the day, it's not about just us individually. It's about, like, the whole team."

That's not necessarily a good sign for the Bucks.

So far in the Finals, Antetokounmpo has a plus-minus rating of +4, while the team's other starters are deeply buried in the wrong category: Khris Middleton (-26), Jrue Holiday (-19), P.J. Tucker (-19) and Brook Lopez (-18).

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That said, the series is far from over.

The Bucks have already come back from a 2-0 deficit against the Brooklyn Nets in the second round of the playoffs. But for things to change course, there will need to be some major improvements.

On Thursday, Antetokounmpo set a Bucks record for points in a Finals game, topping Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's mark of 37, set in Game 5 of the 1974 Finals. But Antetokounmpo's 42 points were more than twice as many as those of any of his teammates. Holiday had just 17 on 7-for-21 shooting, and Middleton added a woeful 11 on 5-for-16 shooting.

"Knocking down some shots would make life a lot better for us," Middleton acknowledged.

The Bucks will have a chance to regroup. The basket will likely get bigger at home, far away from the 16,000 hostile fans in the incredibly loud Phoenix Suns Arena.

The Bucks will watch film. They'll make adjustments.

Antetokounmpo believes the series can turn around if his team's energy, physicality and toughness improve.

"I'm going to keep saying over and over again, not just for the media, but for myself to hear it," he said.

Antetokounmpo isn't making any excuses. He's not thinking about his knee. He's not pointing the finger at his teammates.

Instead, with his play and his words, he's leading a Bucks team that has sunk into dangerous territory. They're just two losses away from their season being over, a prospect that's daunting even to their normally happy-go-lucky superstar.

"It's kind of hard to enjoy the game when you're losing," Antetokounmpo said. "But we're going to figure it out. We're going to figure it out."

He repeated that message twice, to convince not only everyone in the room.

But also himself.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.