The Boston Celtics are hoping to influence officials to keep a close eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo in their series against the Milwaukee Bucks by talking about his tendency to commit charges, but the three-time NBA All-Star insists he is not concerned about that tactic.
When asked on Friday about more than one Celtics player calling attention to the charging violations he has committed, Giannis said he interprets that as an indication that his upcoming opponent is not focusing enough on how to defend him.
Giannis on the Celtics talking about his charges: "That's the fun part about it, they are not thinking about how they are gonna defend me, they are thinking about how they are gonna try and take charges" https://t.co/YWfsRtRsqJ
— Daily NBA Scoop (@dailynbascoop) April 27, 2019
Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown said earlier in the week that Antetokounmpo is “up there with the best” players in the NBA, and he said the Bucks star leading the league in charges is a reflection of his aggressive style of play. Boston guard Terry Rozier made similar remarks.
“He’s a great athlete, a very great player. I’m pretty sure he’s smarter than last year and we got a lot of chances to take some charges on him and stuff like that,” Rozier said, via Tom Westerholm of MLive.com.
Giannis may be the best player in the league at going to the basket, so it makes sense that there are opportunities to take charges against him. The Bucks will gladly accept a few of those fouls if it means The Greek Freak keeps making athletic plays like this. Trying to beat him to a spot is a good strategy, but it will be easier said than done for the Celtics.
