The Pacers thought they had found a Giannis Antetokounmpo stopper in Thaddeus Young.
They were wrong.
The Greek Freak finished with a 33-point, 19-rebound, 11-assist triple-double Wednesday night, leading the Miwaukee Bucks past visiting Indiana, and said no “one guy” can contain him.
After the game, Giannis was asked this question:
"Did you enjoy your matchup with Thad Young? Around here in Indiana there were some games where he had some good games against you, got a reputation as a guy who could slow you down.”
His response: pic.twitter.com/edAYGdTf6O
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) February 14, 2019
Per The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
That was a narrative that came out of the December game, when Thaddeus Young stymied Antetokounmpo while scoring 25 points of his own on the way to a player of the week award that usually goes to Milwaukee’s star.
The Pacers thought they had the key to stopping Antetokounmpo and the Greek Freak went on a mission – and successfully demonstrated – he’s a cut above. Young, with Antetokounmpo against him much of the night Wednesday, finished with just seven points.
“Oh, come on man,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about Young’s defense on him. “Thaddeus Young is a great guy, first of all. Amazing player, amazing teammate, plays hard.
“At the end of the day, I’m not trying to sound arrogant and cocky because that’s not who I am, but I don’t think there’s one guy that can stop me. It’s got to be a whole team effort. They’ve got to load, they’ve got to double-team me. When I get to the paint, three guys swarm at me. That’s the only way. They’ve got to all work together to stop me from making plays – not getting points, from making plays. But he’s a great defensive guy.”
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