Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from Game 2 rout vs. Pistons

2. The Greek Freak is just getting warmed up

The Milwaukee Bucks’ 35-17 third quarter advantage wasn’t by accident; it was force-fed by the Greek Freak, who crammed 13 points down Detroit’s throat in a 22-10 run that took place over a mere seven minutes. After having his minutes restricted by foul trouble in the first half, he came out as a force to be reckoned with and essentially put the game away right after the break.

Giannis terrorized Thon Maker in the first half by backing him down and dunking all over his poor little brother. He terrorized him again in the second half, sending his feeble layup attempt into the stands like it was nothing.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1118681003235708928

But the true nightmare lies in wait for the rest of the Eastern Conference. The Greek Freak’s averages of 25.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 57.1 percent shooting are formidable, sure. But they become downright, well, freakish when you realize he’s only played 26.5 minutes per game over those first two contests.

That’s worrisome for two reasons. The first is the type of absurd production Antetokounmpo is capable of producing in such short bursts, as Detroit learned firsthand from his third quarter flurry that turned the tide of Game 2.

The second reason is, during the playoffs, rest is everything. The Bucks were already cruising for a four-game sweep before Wednesday night’s rout, and nothing we saw in Game 2 suggests otherwise. But what if Milwaukee is able to get some extra days off and limit Antetokounmpo’s minutes at the same time?

It was already scary enough when Giannis only had to play 32.8 minutes a night during a season where his team still won 60 games. It’s downright terrifying he might make it out of the first round in four games while averaging less than 30 minutes per game as he saves his strength for the real tests ahead.