Did Giannis' performance against the Nets cement him as MVP?
After 45 years, the Milwaukee Bucks franchise scoring record finally fell on Thursday night, and it took a "freak" to dethrone Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a 3 to force overtime against the Nets and pass Abdul-Jabbar, underscoring his season-long dominance and status as an MVP contender at the regular season's final juncture.
Antetokounmpo scored 44 points, including a pair of game-winning free throws, to power Milwaukee past Brooklyn, a performance that compelled Shannon Sharpe to declare him the world's most dominant player on "Undisputed" on Friday.
"Anybody that watched this game that doesn't think Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently the best player in the NBA, they're losing their mind," Sharpe said.
Giannis showed he is the best player in the NBA vs. Nets I UNDISPUTED
Sharpe has championed Giannis as his MVP throughout the season, with the "Greek Freak" carving up the NBA with the power and precision of a Greek god.
Antetokounmpo currently averages 30.1 points per game, tied for a league-best with LeBron James, with a wildly efficient 55.4% shooting percentage. He also snatches 11.7 rebounds per contest and dishes out 5.8 assists a game.
But with a top seed and MVP title on the line, Antetokounmpo has somehow managed to reach another stratosphere to close out the regular season.
Against two of the East's most talented teams this week, Giannis first scored 40 points on just 24 shots in Philadelphia on Tuesday, including a game-clinching block on Joel Embiid from point-blank range.
Antetokounmpo, seemingly unsatisfied, managed to one-up his performance Thursday, scoring 44 points on just 21 attempts and leading the Bucks back from a nine-point deficit inside the final three minutes.
"If you look at his last two games, I don't really know what else you can do to get ahead — 84 points, 28 rebounds and 12 assists in two games, all on 67% shooting," Sharpe said.
Giannis thriving in the clutch is nothing new, standing out as one of the NBA's best players in late-game scenarios. He shoots nearly 52% while demanding the ball and the defense's attention during crunch time, a better percentage than most of the NBA's greatest stars and high-pressure shooters.
"Kevin Durant is shooting 40% while Giannis is shooting 52% in the clutch, the last five minutes with the [score] within five," Sharpe said. "That's what Giannis is doing. Giannis is outscoring LeBron and KD, two of the best offensive players in NBA history and two of the most clutch players in NBA history."
And with that, former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker went even further, agreeing with Nick Wright that Giannis is not only the MVP, but the game's best player.
"I have to apologize to two people," Walker said. "First, Nick Wright, you were 100 percent right — Giannis is the MVP. Second, Giannis. What Giannis did vs. the Nets was a statement game. He's unbelievable. He's the best player in the league & it's not even close."
Did Giannis take the lead in MVP race after win vs. Nets? I FIRST THINGS FIRST
