Here’s what you didn’t see on the ESPN broadcast.
They call him a Freak for a reason
If the Bucks go on to win the NBA Finals, Giannis Antetoukounmpo’s stunning block in the final moments of Game 4 will be the defining play of the series.
With 1:15 left in the fourth quarter, with the Bucks up 101–99 over the Suns, Giannis went to double Devin Booker as he drove down the lane, leaving Deandre Ayton wide-open behind him. Booker threw an alley-oop pass to Ayton and Giannis, who had one foot on the free-throw line when Booker released the ball, took two giant steps and met Ayton high above the rim for the block.
It was the kind of play that should be savored over and over again, but because of the frantic pace of the end of the game, ESPN couldn’t find time to cut away to any replays. Fortunately, the NBA posted a video early Thursday morning showing every angle of the block.
Seeing alternate angles of the play doesn’t really make it more impressive—it was outrageous enough to begin with—but each one does reveal something different. I think my favorite might be the view from above the backboard, because it puts into perspective how much ground Giannis covered. I also like the angle from the sideline opposite the main broadcast camera, where you can see Giannis’s face as he realizes Booker is about to throw a lob and immediately makes his move.
Giannis broke down the play in some detail during his postgame press conference.
“Just a hustle play,” he said modestly. “I thought I was going to get dunked on.”
But he also explained how he was able to react so quickly to Booker’s lob.
“[The pass] didn’t surprise me,” he said. “I saw it coming. Once I saw [Booker] put it in his one hand, he was too far for a layup, so I knew he was throwing a lob. And I committed so much—you have an instinct, you kind of feel it. I felt [Ayton] rolling to get in behind me and I knew the only chance to get a stop was to just jump toward the rim and try to cover that angle for him to score.”
He makes it sound so easy, but he’s probably the only player in the NBA capable of getting into position to make that play.
The best of SI
Howard Beck takes a closer look at Giannis’s block. ... Does anything that happened in this bizarre NBA season mean anything? ... MLB needs to figure out a way to get more players to participate in the All-Star Game. ... Sports Illustrated’s best photos from the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
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An oblivious oddsmaker mistakenly set the total for the WNBA All-Star Game at 50 points higher than he should have. ... More Americans watched the Euro final last weekend than the NBA Finals.
Ayton was the victim of a similar play earlier this season
If not for the Giannis block, we’d all be talking about Devin Booker mugging Jrue Holliday and somehow not being called for his sixth foul
Holy crap
From way downtown
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This does look like a guy who solves problems with a flamethrower
What a finish
He has the puck on a string
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The erratic behavior of salmon at a fish farm in Germany may be blamed on cocaine. ... James Gandolfini was paid $3 million by HBO to turn down a lead role on The Office, according to one of his former co-stars. ... One of Sweden’s top rappers was sentenced to 10 months in jail for plotting to kidnap a rival. ... MTV is rebooting Cribs.
Imagine going to the beach and having a family of bears swimming next to you
This guy found 158 bowling balls buried under his house
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
Here’s what you didn’t see on the ESPN broadcast.
They call him a Freak for a reason
If the Bucks go on to win the NBA Finals, Giannis Antetoukounmpo’s stunning block in the final moments of Game 4 will be the defining play of the series.
With 1:15 left in the fourth quarter, with the Bucks up 101–99 over the Suns, Giannis went to double Devin Booker as he drove down the lane, leaving Deandre Ayton wide-open behind him. Booker threw an alley-oop pass to Ayton and Giannis, who had one foot on the free-throw line when Booker released the ball, took two giant steps and met Ayton high above the rim for the block.
It was the kind of play that should be savored over and over again, but because of the frantic pace of the end of the game, ESPN couldn’t find time to cut away to any replays. Fortunately, the NBA posted a video early Thursday morning showing every angle of the block.
Seeing alternate angles of the play doesn’t really make it more impressive—it was outrageous enough to begin with—but each one does reveal something different. I think my favorite might be the view from above the backboard, because it puts into perspective how much ground Giannis covered. I also like the angle from the sideline opposite the main broadcast camera, where you can see Giannis’s face as he realizes Booker is about to throw a lob and immediately makes his move.
Giannis broke down the play in some detail during his postgame press conference.
“Just a hustle play,” he said modestly. “I thought I was going to get dunked on.”
But he also explained how he was able to react so quickly to Booker’s lob.
“[The pass] didn’t surprise me,” he said. “I saw it coming. Once I saw [Booker] put it in his one hand, he was too far for a layup, so I knew he was throwing a lob. And I committed so much—you have an instinct, you kind of feel it. I felt [Ayton] rolling to get in behind me and I knew the only chance to get a stop was to just jump toward the rim and try to cover that angle for him to score.”
He makes it sound so easy, but he’s probably the only player in the NBA capable of getting into position to make that play.
The best of SI
Howard Beck takes a closer look at Giannis’s block. ... Does anything that happened in this bizarre NBA season mean anything? ... MLB needs to figure out a way to get more players to participate in the All-Star Game. ... Sports Illustrated’s best photos from the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.
Around the sports world
An oblivious oddsmaker mistakenly set the total for the WNBA All-Star Game at 50 points higher than he should have. ... More Americans watched the Euro final last weekend than the NBA Finals.
Ayton was the victim of a similar play earlier this season
If not for the Giannis block, we’d all be talking about Devin Booker mugging Jrue Holliday and somehow not being called for his sixth foul
Holy crap
From way downtown
Me after skulling three straight sand shots
This does look like a guy who solves problems with a flamethrower
What a finish
He has the puck on a string
Not sports
The erratic behavior of salmon at a fish farm in Germany may be blamed on cocaine. ... James Gandolfini was paid $3 million by HBO to turn down a lead role on The Office, according to one of his former co-stars. ... One of Sweden’s top rappers was sentenced to 10 months in jail for plotting to kidnap a rival. ... MTV is rebooting Cribs.
Imagine going to the beach and having a family of bears swimming next to you
This guy found 158 bowling balls buried under his house
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
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