Old Men in Sweats! ™
By: Tommy T. & Barry D.
Volume 27
BEST BALLER IN THE WORLD! BBW
Giannis vs Kawhi (aka: “The Greek Freak” vs. “The Klaw”)
If you’re looking for the next “Best Baller in the World”(BBW) in the NBA it may have just been settled in the Eastern Conference finals. Yeah, LeBron James may take another run at the BBW next season with a better supporting cast in LA. And Kevin Durant, before his calf injury, was riding a two-way tornado in NoCal with 35/game and all-over-the-court defense supporting his claim to the throne.
As we go into the 2019 NBA Finals, the BBW may just be on the team that isn’t looking to 3Peat! Sidebar, a Hoop genius with a big $ stake in Warriors 3PEAT is, Pat “SLICK” Riley (from our hometown). But, even his vast knowledge would most likely say the BBW is Kawhi.
The “Greek Freak” vs “The Klaw” in the East was for all intents and purposes the heavyweight championship fight of the NBA season. Toronto beat Milwaukee in six games and the The Claw won in a late round TKO. Giannis Antetokoumpo led a solid Bucks squad into the series holding home court advantage with the best record in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard pulled the Raptors through the toughest series of the playoffs beating the 76ers with a rim-hopping, buzzer-beating 21-foot jump shot in game 7.
As we’ve been watching every single game in the now competitive Eastern conference, Kawhi proved to be simply better than Giannis. As the games got more serious and deeper into the series Kawhi’s overall skillset was far superior than Giannis. Our initial takeaway of Giannis’ game is too much Euro-step. Giannis offensive game was sorely lacking. We were actually very unimpressed with the Greek Freak’s overall game on the offensive side of the ball. He relied way too much on… “that weak-ass Euro-step move.” Giannis is still a European playing in America’s game and it showed up in this series. Kawhi played a man’s game on offense. He used the old fashioned 15-foot pull-up jumper to take over games 5 & 6 in the second half. He has a much better three point shot and here’s the big difference maker, he makes 90% of his free throws. Giannis was horrible at the free throw line. Gianna has zero pull up game from mid-range and an ugly, rhythm-less three point shot. Or at least he showed none of the above during the course of 6 games. And Giannis ended up relying on “that weak-ass move.” After watching the Milwaukee vs Boston series we actually had Giannis vs Kawhi as a 50/50 call at the outset. But it ended up being almost a one-sided affair.
But make no mistake, this is not a Giannis bashing rag. Not at all. We love Giannis’ leadership, poise, and temperament. He’s not a crybaby to the refs, or an excuse maker to the press. He handles the spirit of the Bucks’ team with a decisiveness that screams leader. And Giannis is only the freakiest athlete around the rim in the NBA. So we are not bashing Giannis here today. But, we are crowning the new king of the NBA and this is where we start nitpicking every last detail of the perspective BBW. Giannis is clearly one of the greatest players in the World and one of the top 4 or 5 players in the NBA. But, Kawhi Leonard is simply better at pretty much all phases. Kawhi took all the big shots in these playoffs. He made the biggest shot of these playoffs and he has a fully developed arsenal of an offensive game.
As the playoffs move to the NBA Finals, it’s too bad we can’t see Ali vs Frazier after we just witnessed Ali vs Foreman. That’s how the heavyweight ranks unfolded in 1974 and 1975 and the Old Men in Sweats never forget the great ones. But, KD is injured and Kawhi is leading the Raptors against one of the best “cores” of all time. Steph, Klay, Draymond, and Iggy are just about the best we’ve seen. At least since the 90’s Bulls and maybe ever.
So we don’t get the next head-to-head battle for “Best Baller in the World.” Kawhi just won the championship of the East and the BBW title for the year. He beat the up and coming Greek Freak in convincing fashion and sets up many more great battles in the coming seasons.
The NBA is in great shape with its superstars, which is pretty much par for the course in the Association since the 80’s, when Magic vs Bird was the ultimate battle for the throne of BBW.
-OMIS
“PREACHING SPORTS KNOWLEDGE FOR A LIFETIME!”