Giannis Antetokounmpo has a principle.
Nearest enjoying in a nationally televised recreation on Christmas Presen for the pace six seasons, the Milwaukee Dollars is probably not enjoying this Christmas. Given a anticipation to consider why the Dollars weren’t one of the vital 10 groups invited to the NBA’s largest regular-season birthday party this date, the Dollars’ eight-time All-NBA ahead believes he has it discovered.
“I’m a little bit upset or kind of questioning it,” Antetokounmpo informed The Athletic. “But I really believe there’s probably an algorithm that takes place within the NBA that shows who is the most attractive team or which team gets the most attention for them to be able to play in the Christmas game.”
Not able to seek out any logical causes for the verdict, Antetokounmpo used to be compelled to take a position about what he can’t see.
“There’s gotta be an algorithm because if it’s — how can I say — like a popularity contest, I can give you facts,” Antetokounmpo mentioned. “You want me to? Two of the NBA All-Star starters, Dame (Lillard) and Giannis, and the All-Star MVP, right? And the No. 1 vote-getter — not in the East, in the whole NBA — is not in the Christmas game? What? No, it’s a fact.
“The votes came out last year. I was the No. 1. Dame was a starter. I was a starter. Dame won the MVP. Dame won the 3-point contest. Maybe that has nothing to do with it. I believe we were one of the best teams in the East last year. Maybe not this year, OK. We don’t get a Christmas game. Why? Because we got a small market? Maybe that’s the case. Or I want to believe what I tell you, I think there’s an algorithm within the NBA that they choose which team will get the most attention, the most viewership that day.”
Antetokounmpo’s effort to grasp why the Dollars aren’t enjoying on Christmas is comprehensible when having a look via what he has completed lately in addition to the Dollars’ crew good fortune.
Outdoor of the recognition Antetokounmpo cited in extreme date’s All-Famous person balloting, he’s considered one of 3 avid gamers to win NBA MVP over the extreme 3 seasons. The alternative two — Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid — are scheduled to play games on Christmas. On height of that, the eight-time All-Famous person could also be the one participant within the NBA to complete within the height 5 in MVP balloting in every of the extreme six seasons.
From a crew viewpoint, the Dollars have been the Refuse. 3 seed within the Japanese Convention extreme season. The Dollars are considered one of two top-three seeds from extreme season, together with their NBA Cup ultimate opponent, the Oklahoma Town Thunder, not to be featured on Christmas this season. The Dollars have gathered extra regular-season wins around the extreme six seasons than any alternative crew and they’re the one NBA champion from the extreme 5 seasons not to be featured on Christmas this while round.
And day Antetokounmpo has the Dollars’ maximum important accentuation, he used to be a long way from the one participant suffering to grasp the verdict.
“A lot of teams play on Christmas, so it’s not like it’s two or four teams and we gotta figure out who we’re going to pick in these spots,” middle Brook Lopez mentioned. “No, they have a lot of games on Christmas. So, yeah, I do think it’s disrespectful, but I don’t make the schedule. I don’t know how that happened.”
Khris Middleton, who has performed at the extreme six Christmases like Antetokounmpo, Lopez and Pat Connaughton, additionally discovered himself annoyed by way of this date’s agenda.
“Definitely disappointing,” Middleton mentioned. “We always want to play on Christmas. It’s the biggest day in the NBA besides the playoffs and the finals and whatnot. But I have a family now and kids, so now I can have a chance to open gifts without having to work the same day, so I’m definitely happy about that. But hopefully we won’t have too many more Christmases where we don’t play again.”
Time avid gamers all over the Dollars roster discovered themselves to start with suffering to realize the snub, that sadness has subsided because the season has advanced.
Bobby Portis informed The Athletic he used to be straight away texting with Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo when he to start with discovered over the summer time however now unearths himself having a look on the silver lining of getting off on Christmas.
“It was disappointing when I first heard the news,” Portis mentioned. “But as time has grown, especially how we started the season, we get two days off in an important time in our year coming from Vegas (for the NBA Cup) last week. So, to get Tuesday and Wednesday off, I think that’s going to be great for our legs, great for our minds.
“And then just to get away from the gym for a little minute and spend time with our fams, I think at first I was a little mad, but now it’s like Christmas is on the way, we got snow outside, so it’s fun.”
Finally, this is the place Antetokounmpo additionally landed. There used to be sadness to start with, however that has become gratefulness over an surprising anticipation to spend while together with his society on a unique hour.
“I’m pissed,” Antetokounmpo mentioned. “But I’m happy at the same time because I get to for the first time since 2017 — yeah, 2017 was the last time I actually spent Christmas like a regular person, I didn’t play a noon game. I get to, for once, sit on my couch and be entertained and watch NBA basketball, be entertained by other players and not the one doing the entertaining.
“So, yeah, I was pissed, but then 20 minutes later, I was like, ‘No Christmas game, huh? I get to spend the day with my kids and open presents.’ Like, you don’t take it for granted because like, LeBron (James) plays, Steph (Curry) plays, all of these big-time players play in Christmas games all the time in their career and they miss valuable moments. Like, we miss so much valuable moments from our lives and I’m a person that I try to not take things for granted. And if this is how it should be, this is how it should be.”
(Photograph: Gregory Shamus / Getty Photographs)
