preface
"If Irving hadn't been padded by the alphabet, we could have swept the Bucks to win the championship, and Irving's injury changed the whole game." This is Griffin's response to reporters after last year's season, and there are many opinions about whether Alphabet Brother deliberately stepped up.
Some people say that his championship trophy is obtained by cushioning his feet, and some people say that he never hurts the unknown under his feet, but whether he does it unintentionally or deliberately, he cannot stop the fact that Alphabet Brother is gradually becoming the first person in the league.
Alphabet brother childhood experience
Born in Athens, Greece, in 1994, Alphabet was born to four brothers whose parents immigrated from Nigeria to Greece in order to support their family, hoping to find better-paying jobs here.
But their status as immigrants became a stumbling block, and eventually their father had to work as a handyman, their mother worked as a nanny for others, and their parents changed many jobs to barely make ends meet.
In order to share the pressure on the family, Brother Alphabet and his four brothers took to the streets as small traders, and although they were tired every day, they were very content.
Alphabet Brother's father was a football player, and his mother was a high jumper, which also made Alphabet Brother and his brothers' sports genes beyond ordinary people.
But when he was a child, Brother Alphabet did not like to play basketball, his dream was to be a football player as good as his father, but his brother Francis Antetokounmpo was a complete basketball lover.
In order to stay with his brother, Brother Alphabet often rushed to the basketball hall five kilometers away on his rest days to practice basketball with his brother, and the two brothers often fought from day to night, and when it was time for lunch break, they slept directly in the arena.
Due to their poor family, they always share a pair of sneakers, so when playing against friends, the two brothers never play at the same time.
The older brother often encourages the alphabet brother: "Although we don't have much off the court, we have everything on the court" One day, the basketball coach Spyros, who happened to pass by the court, saw the alphabet brother's amazing arm span and strong physical fitness, and invited him to join his team.
But Alphabet Brother refused, he just wanted to work hard to relieve the pressure on the family, and the coach promised Alphabet Brother that as long as he was willing to join the team, he would help his parents arrange work, and Alphabet Brother agreed.
Then followed the coach to the Filas basketball club, and when Brother Alphabet was training, the picture of his parents selling small goods on the street often came to mind.
In order to change his family life, Brother Alphabet silently made a decision: he must work hard to make himself stronger. Every day after the end of the field, Alphabet Brother will stay and train for a few more hours.
The coach also saw his determination and firmly believed that sooner or later, Brother Alphabet would gallop on the NBA court so that he could play with one mind. The club arranged the alphabet brother's family to live near the ball coffin, a community with a better quality of life.
When his family and life were stabilized, the burden in his heart was finally let go, and under the careful guidance of the coach, his skills became better and better, and he soon became the leader of the team.
In the youth competition in 09, Alphabet Brother's big hat opponent from time to time even slashed 50 points in the game and became the scoring king in the youth team, and many scouting experts also came to the scene to enjoy Alphabet Brother's personal show.
In 2012, in the Greek Second Division Basketball League, Alphabet Brother, who averaged 9.5 points and 5 rebounds per game, impressed the Bucks coaches who came to watch the game.
The NBA coach at the time was not allowed to communicate directly with the players, and the coach of the Bucks, on the way to the toilet, secretly said to the alphabet brother: "You played very well, please keep going." "It also impressed the Bucks and Alphabet Brother.
"Tough" draft journey
"Do you still have to wear a suit to participate in the draft? Then I won't go. How could I have the money to buy a suit, and if someone hadn't told me I might have been drafted by the NBA, I wouldn't have come here to lose time, and I can make a lot of money playing in the Spanish league. "This is the conversation between Brother Alphabet and the agent before the draft.
When told that he needed to wear a suit to participate in the draft, Alphabet decisively refused and turned around to walk back, he could not risk not being selected and then lose another suit.
After the agent learned of Alphabet Brother's difficulties, he took him to the mall and bought a suit, and Alphabet Brother's bumpy draft road was finally on track.
In the 2013 draft, Alphabet Brother was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th pick in the first round, and the brother excitedly waved the Greek flag in his hand, and Alphabet Brother was blindfolded on the spot, unable to believe that the flag was like this, stepping onto the NBA arena.
After Alphabet Brother joined the team, everyone in the Bucks took great care of him, and in order to get used to life in the United States, the Bucks took care of all his life like his own children.
Brother Alphabet felt at home here and signed a rookie contract worth $1.8 million with the Bucks, which was also his first NBA contract.
Alphabet Brother has never seen so much money, after getting the money, he bought a PS4 for $400, but a few days later, Alphabet Brother remembered his family, and worked hard to set up a stall on the street, but he was secretly enjoying himself, and he felt guilty.
When the Bucks assistant coach learned about this, he bought his game console at the original price, and Brother Alphabet also remitted all the remaining money to his family.
But there happened to be a game that day, and the money on Alphabet Brother was no longer enough to take a taxi, so in order to get to the arena before the start, he could only run desperately on the icy Milwaukee Street.
At this time, a middle-aged couple who happened to drive home recognized the Bucks rookie at a glance, they were all loyal fans of the Bucks, and they didn't want to, so they invited the alphabet brother to the car, and the tall alphabet brother squeezed into the back seat of the Honda Fit,
After a bumpy journey, I finally arrived at the game on time, and when the coach saw Alphabet Brother get out of the car, he was surprised and asked him, how can you just take a stranger's car, but in the eyes of Alphabet Brother, the city of Milwaukee is very warm.
At the age of 18, Alphabet Brother debuted on the NBA stage, and in his rookie season, he averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, but in the eyes of most people, Alphabet Brother is a Greek rookie with long hands and feet and a very conspicuous on the court.
But with continuous training and adaptation, the talent of the alphabet brother is gradually revealed, and in 2016, the alphabet brother has been able to have 16.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.
In the game against the Lakers with Kobe Bryant, the alphabet brother even played 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, won the first triple-double in his life, and successfully led the team to victory, and this game also made Kobe notice the young alphabet brother.
"He's very smart and has a physical talent beyond normal people, and he will definitely become a great player in the future." This is Kobe's high affirmation of Brother Alphabet after the game.
Talking about his new coach, Kidd, Alphabet said: "Actually, at the beginning I didn't know who he was or what he accomplished. Until one time I searched for his name online.
NBA champion, All-Rookie, 10-time All-Star selection, Olympic gold medalist, I was like, oh my God, my coach was so fierce, and then I lowered my posture and seriously learned from him. ”
After analyzing the training and game footage, coach Kidd found some problems, and he felt that Alphabet Brother was fully capable of serving as the team's offensive initiator.
With a height of 2.11 meters, playing point guard was a risky decision and a challenge in all teams at the time, in order to be able to run in quickly.
In the offseason before the start of the season, Alphabet Brother would always spend time in the training room, sometimes training was too obsessed, and often missed meal time, and he could only continue training after a simple sleep on the floor of the training room.
But it's not an easy task, and Brother Alphabet understands that he not only has to play his own good performances, but also has to take on the responsibility of directing his teammates and connecting the team. As time went by, Alphabet's ball control skills became more and more stable.
Before the start of the 2016-17 season, the Bucks signed a four-year, $100 million contract with Alphabet Brother, and at that time, he was fully able to go to other teams and fight for higher salaries.
But Brother Alphabet is grateful, this city may be more important to him than money, and the salary they offer is enough for him to send all his most important family members to live in the United States.
Brother Alphabet decided that he would follow Duncan and Novitsky, stay on the same team for two decades, and repay the city, the team and the fans with loyal determination and outstanding performances.
After signing his contract, Alphabet did not slacken in the slightest, and in the regular season, he averaged 22.9 points per game and successfully led the team to the playoffs.
Although it is only a round trip, compared to last season, the growth of the Bucks is visible to the naked eye, and the alphabet brother was also selected to the All-Star team for the first time this year, successfully became a starter, and successfully selected the best player in the East.
Brother Alphabet also began to leave his own legendary story in the history of the Bucks, and he always inspired himself to be on par with Kobe, James and Jordan, not only to become a legend, but also to change the league and change the entire era.
"Kobe, I'm going to challenge you." "Let's talk about it after you get the MVP first." In 2017, Alphabet Brother challenged Kobe on Twitter, and in the face of Kobe's request, Alphabet Brother gladly accepted and conducted a high intensity this summer.
When Alphabet Brother finally wanted to show his skills in the NBA, the bad news that his most important father died of a heart attack came undoubtedly a heavy blow to Alphabet Brother, who has been very sensible since childhood.
After a short period of sadness, Brother Alphabet knew that he still had the responsibility of a family on his body, and then he turned all his sadness into motivation and silently set a goal in his heart: he must create his own legendary story.
Finally, at the end of the season, Alphabet led the Bucks to a 44-38 record, seventh in the East, and successfully reached the playoffs, and finally lost Game 6 with the Raptors.
But in this game, Alphabet Brother played 47 minutes, scored 34 points and 9 rebounds, set a career playoff single-game scoring record, successfully entered the NBA All-Defensive Team, and was successfully elected the NBA's most improved player that year.
During the offseason, Alphabet Brother finally got the opportunity to train with Kobe Bryant through hard work, and he knew how hard-won this training was.
So every day three hours early, I arrived at the training ground with a notebook and wrote down the pace of the attack and various details of the defense.
Under the influence of the Mamba spirit, Brother Alphabet gradually began to be strict with himself, he never stopped training, and even when it came to the rest day, he would feel uncomfortable.
In the 17-18 season, although the Alphabet brother's personal data has improved by leaps and bounds, the Bucks team has not performed satisfactorily, and the record has always hovered on the verge of 40 wins, and every time they enter the playoffs, they will be eliminated in the first round.
Fan expectations, as well as various pressures from the outside world, have caused the team's management to explode completely at this moment, and when NBA teams need to make changes, they often take the coach first.
The Bucks are no exception, and the team's management decided to fire coach Kidd this season, and when Alphabet learned the news, he immediately called the coach before the official announcement, telling him that he would try to convince management to let Kidd stay.
Kidd replied, in fact, I had a hunch for a long time, at this time Alphabet Brother said to Kidd, I can call the boss, call the agent, and beg them to keep you, after negotiations with the management were fruitless, Alphabet Brother was hit hard.
"Anyone's departure is part of the job, all you can do is accept it silently, and in this business alliance you have to get used to him." Brother Alphabet looked at the teammates around him, changed round after round, and could only accept reality.
Since you can't keep the coach Kidd who is already leaving, all you can do now is to make yourself stronger, lead the team to a better record, and strive not to let anyone in the team leave.
Brother Alphabet not only values his family, but also every partner who has fought with him, and in the 18-19 season, the team welcomed a new head coach, Mike Budenholzer.
He was an assistant coach at the Spurs for 18 years and led the Hawks to 60 wins, and after Mike took office, he directly adjusted the Bucks' starting lineup and assembled a combination that would give the most power to the alphabet.
Alphabet Brother also lived up to expectations, averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game this season, whether offensive or defensive, Alphabet Brother is the top dominant player on the court.
He also became the Defensive Player of the Year and was successfully elected, the All-Star Game East captain, and in the tournament's draft, he did not forget his true qualities and resolutely chose Chris Middleton as his teammate.
After the All-Star Game, the Bucks, led by Alphabet Brother in the regular season, finished first in the league with a 60-22 record (in terms of regular season record) and easily defeated the Pistons 4-0 in the first round.
In the second round, he defeated the Celtics 4-1 and successfully completed the battle for revenge, and in the Eastern Conference Finals, facing Leonard's Raptors, the alphabet brother was in full swing, winning two consecutive games after the opening.
But in the following game, Alphabet Brother was eager to win, and he kept leading the team to attack, he accelerated the pace of attack, and mistakes occurred one after another, resulting in the team losing four consecutive games and being eliminated.
Although the team did not rush out of the East, the performance of Alphabet Brother this season also successfully became the MVP of the 2018-19 season, and also fulfilled his promise to Kobe Bryant.
At the award ceremony, Brother Alphabet shed tears with excitement, thanking the team for discovering the 18-year-old in Greece, and repeatedly taking care of his family, as well as the warmth that the city of Milwaukee brought him.
In the next game, he will take practical actions to repay those who are honest with him.
In an interview after the award, Alphabet said: "Don't call me MVP, unless I win a championship." "Alphabet brother, who has gone through a lot of hardships, has a longer-term vision.
He wants to win an NBA championship for the sake of his team, for himself and his family.
"He's the strongest presence in the league both offensively and defensively, and I think the sky is his limit." This is Kobe's evaluation of Alphabet Brother in an interview with reporters.
In the 2019-20 season, the Bucks easily won the opener game, and Alphabet Brother played only 28 minutes, scoring a triple-double of 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
In the first regular season game, he scored 30 points again, and finally led the Bucks to a 134-106 victory over the Timberwolves, and after a perfect start, the Bucks played the regular season, with a 56-17 record, and entered the playoffs again.
Alphabet led the team to a 4-0 direct sweep of the Magic in the first round of the playoffs, but lost against the Heat in the second round.
But thanks to perfect stats, Alphabet Brother once again won the regular season MVP, but for him, it all seemed meaningless without a championship.
In order to impact the championship next season, Alphabet Brother practiced devilishly in the offseason, and even late at night, Alphabet Brother can still be seen on the Bucks' court.
He stepped up his back and mid-range shots, as well as power drills, and the Bucks recruited defensive titan, Joe Holladay, this summer.
In the 2020-21 season, Alphabet led the Bucks, with a 46-26 record, to the playoffs again, and swept the Heat in the first round to easily complete the revenge.
In the second round against the Nets with the Big Three, the two sides played back and forth, successfully playing the game to the tie-of-seven battle, in the last game, Durant missed the line and missed the killing opportunity, and the Bucks finally narrowly defeated the Nets by a small margin and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with difficulty.
This time against the Hawks, who led the Bucks to a two-game winning streak after losing one first, successfully turning the score back to 2-1.
However, in the fourth game, Alphabet Brother could not play due to a knee injury, but with the efforts of his teammates, the Bucks successfully defeated the Hawks and successfully entered the NBA Finals, which is also the Bucks' return to the Finals after 47 years.
Facing the Suns with Booker and Paul, Alphabet Brother was not afraid at all, and forced himself to play before the injury healed, and the first four games were played back and forth, and the score was 2:2.
At the beginning of the fifth game, the two sides fought fiercely, the score was clenched until the last minute, Booker received the ball and was ready to attack, Holiday Brother suddenly appeared from behind and accurately cut the ball to complete the steal.
Alphabet successfully dunked and caused a foul on the opponent during the offensive and defensive conversion, and finally won the fifth game, and the sixth game came to the Suns' home court, and the Bucks easily defeated the Suns 105-98.
This is also the second championship in history won by the Bucks after 50 years, and Alphabet Brother also fulfilled his wish, and he once promised: "Don't call me MVP, unless I win a championship."
The current alphabet brother finally has the qualification to challenge Kobe, but he has left us far away, although the Swedish people have passed away, but Kobe's legend will be passed down forever, although in this year's game.
Alphabet brother failed to defend the championship, but he still played an average of 32.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, alphabet brother's progress can be seen with the naked eye, I believe that in the future, this monster from Greece can bring us more legendary stories.