Giannis Antetokounmpo is feeling the pressure to win a championship in Miami already and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sitting right under the franchise’s three championship banners that hang in the rafters in Miami, Giannis made it crystal clear what his motivation levels.
“It’s at like a million percent right now,” Antetokounmpo told ESPN. “You walk through the hallways and you see the history and you see the players that have been a part of this organization and things that they’ve done. I want to make all the moves that they’ve made worth it.
“It’s a place I feel like brings pressure, and I thrive under pressure. It brings the best out of me. I’m excited to be coached by [Erik Spoelstra]. I’m excited to be around the city. I understand the fans are very passionate, but right now, I’m hungry to win. I want to win and I will do whatever it takes for me to win.”
Pat Riley was smiling like Cheshire Cat when asked where the Bucks champion ranks among the pantheon of Heat greats:
“He’s right at the top,” Riley said. “With any of the players that we brought in, Zo, Dwyane, Shaquille — players of that ilk — LeBron, Chris Bosh, Bam [Adebayo] one day is going to be there, Butler.
“But I just have a feeling that this guy is a little bit more unique in his body and his size and all of the things that he can do on the court. And we’re just very fortunate to be able to get him. And it took a lot to do that, but we accumulated picks and young players to do that. So we had enough in the package. … It was a perfect time, and it usually takes a perfect time to make this kind of deal.”
A scary duo of Giannis and Bam Adebayo has now been created and Mimai coach Erik Spoelstra can’t wait to unleash them.
“They’re elite competitors,” Spoelstra said. “It matters to them to defend, and they’re gnarly competitors. And if we’re not defending the way that we want to, I’m sure that they’re going to let everybody know. And that’s how you build a great defense. You have to have your best players really taking on that challenge. We want to build a top-flight defense. Pat always says defense wins championships.”
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