Zion Williamson and Giannis Antetokounmpo put on one hell of a duel in their second and last regular season matchup for 2020-21.
It was a ridiculous display of athletic ability from both of them, which really highlighted how far away the two “freaks” are when compared to regular NBA players.
You saw a little bit of everything too, from monster dunks, to each of them being able to make mid-air adjustments to score buckets that only special athletes could even possibly think of.
The best part was how both of them fought hard and were the undoubted best players on the floor. Zhanos finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while the Greek Freak ended the game with 38 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a game-sealing coast-to-coast dunk.
Check out the game highlights, which are peppered with tons of contributions from the two titans:
Up until now, there really hasn’t been a player in the league who could match Antetokounmpo’s raw athleticism, which helped propel him to consecutive regular season MVP awards.
We now have that guy in Williamson, who is going to be as big a draw as them come while he continues to further sharpen his skills to complement his rare combination of strength and speed.
Don’t get me wrong, LeBron James at his peak was the epitome of strength, speed, and skill, but Giannis was still figuring out his game when King James was laying everyone to waste during his athletic prime.
As a quick reminder, here are some of the on-court murders that James committed in his heyday:
The tantalizing prospect of every Zion vs. Giannis duel is why I’m sad that they play in opposite conferences, because we only get to see the show a couple of times a year. The Pelicans are a long way from making the NBA Finals, and the Bucks seem to find a way to drop the ball in the playoffs every year.
In an ideal world, they would be in the same division, meeting a guaranteed four times a year. If nothing else, seeing the two of them play together is guaranteed pure entertainment.
The one silver lining is that they’ve got at least another half-decade to put on a show for us. Antetokounmpo only turns 27 in December, while Williamson will reach the ripe old age of 21 in July.
Both players definitely had help from their other star teammates. Khris Middleton finished with 31 points, seven rebounds, and six assist. Brandon Ingram had 23 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
However, when Williamson and Antetokounmpo meet, all eyes will always be on them.
Until next year, we’ll just have to keep watching the reel from the last game. What a pity.
