Greek Freak paints Raps in corner
Antetokounmpo’s game pressures opposing D from multiple angles
In trying to solve the complex riddle that is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Toronto Raptors have to rely on the old adage that there is strength in numbers.
The bullet-quick six-foot-11 monster of the Milwaukee Bucks shredded the Raptors with repeated courtlength drives, finishing with thunderous dunks in Milwaukee’s seriesopening playoff win Saturday. After dissecting all that went wrong, Toronto has come to one definitive conclusion.
“I think it’s just getting back — getting back and showing bodies,” P.J. Tucker said Sunday. “They run so hard on the break, you’ve got to get back.
“As soon as the ball goes up, especially shooting from the corners, guys on the weak side have to get back and show bodies.”
The Raptors were a bit lazy in transition defence in Saturday’s 97-83 loss and paid dearly for it. Antetokounmpo had 28 points and made 12 field goals, but only three of those baskets were jump shots.
The majority of the rest came when he got unfettered access to the rim because Toronto was slow to get the whole team back and the defence set up.
And it’s not like the Raptors didn’t know what they were supposed to do. It’s that they didn’t do it for some reason or another.
“We didn’t do what we were supposed to do on him, which was get back on defence, try to keep him out of transition,” Kyle Lowry said. “He’s that good.” It has to be fixed. “He made some great plays with one stride to the rim that a lot of guys can’t make, but still he saw a fourlane highway going down there a few times where . . . we weren’t in our positions where we should be,” coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s on us coaches. It’s on me. I’ll take the blame for that, for not having guys in their right positions, but we have to do a better job of shrinking the court, making sure he has bodies in front of him and not sashay to the rim and get dunks and layups.”
While Antetokounmpo was lethal in the open court, he was almost as effective in half-court sets. He has a giant stride and astonishing quickness and can eat up all kinds of space in one or two steps.
He also knows what his strengths are and plays to them.
“We try to give him the shot, he’s not going to take it. He’s going to keep trying to get to the paint, so for us it’s defending the paint,” Tucker said.
And the Raptors forward provided the mantra for Toronto’s defensive needs for however long the series lasts: “We’ve got to shut the paint down. The paint is No. 1. The paint is gold in this series.”