Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Media Availability | 10.26.25

Giannis Antetokounmpo Postgame Media Availability | 10.26.25

I know this league is pretty black and white, wins and losses. So on a night when you guys lose, you’re not going to be as happy, but what does it maybe say about this team that you guys fought the way that you did? You’re down three of your main rotation players and, you know, still are in this game as late as you are. I think it says a lot. Um, obviously the Cavs had the best record last year. Um, if you really put it down, they’re one of the best teams in the East. uh in order for you to be one of the good teams and uh break through and do what you’re supposed to do, you got to go through teams like that. Um obviously we think that the Cavs and um probably the Knicks are one of the best teams in the in the East. But time nothing is guaranteed, nothing is given. They have to prove themselves. Um at the end of the day, I think we came into this game and we we fought from the first minute to the last minute. you know, we were down 15 or 16. Got back to the game. Um, guys were making shot, guys were making extra effort defensively and um, we got close to the game, but he wasn’t able to finish it. It definitely, it’s one of the games that if you fight this hard, you want to leave this place with a win. And you can, you know, put in the back of your head that U KMA Scoot and uh Cole was now playing uh tonight and we’re still able to be close in the game. But that’s not who we’re going to be this year. Uh it doesn’t matter who plays, it doesn’t matter who, you know, as long as you go out there, you’re going to give everything uh you have. And uh this who we are going to be going to be bunch of guys that play hard, that make plays, that space the floor the right way. um guys that uh make open shots and uh guys that give everything every single night and make every single night a ball fight. You know, it’s going to be a fight every every every single night. It doesn’t matter who plays. If I don’t play, we got to have the same mentality. So, you know, maybe last year or two years ago, we could uh say, “Oh, Cuz it’s good. Cole now playing.” And uh maybe if they were playing, maybe we’ll be. Now, we done we done with that. It doesn’t matter. Um good teams don’t lose two in a row. got to go back home and play against the Knicks and hopefully we can get a win. Yiannis, you used the phrase the other night, building a callous in the win over the Raptors. Do you build calluses faster in wins like you had on Friday or losses like you had tonight? Both. Both. Both. Every game you build callus as long as you play hard and you don’t let no game, you know, you don’t leave a game without giving maximum effort. I think against the Raptors, we gave maximum effort. I think against Was we gave maximum effort. I think against tonight against the cows, we gave everything. Um I don’t think anybody, you know, in this arena will disagree. I think it was a very good game from both sides. Uh and this how you build Kus, you know, you have to give everything you have. You got to be exhausted after the game. And you got it got to hurts win or lose like the game against Toronto hurt, you know, even if we won the game like we were exhausted after the game, you know. Uh and tonight uh it definitely hurts too um because everybody gave a maximum effort. Now we got to go focus on the Knicks. If we play 82 games like this with this mentality of like a no matter no matter who dresses, it doesn’t matter if it’s Mark Pit, Tenacis, Alex, me, myself, Koozma, it doesn’t matter who gets on the floor. You’re going to give maximum effort. Uh because this is who we are as a team. I said this how we are going to be dangerous. because we have a lot of guys. We don’t have three, four allstars or two or three like in the past. We have seven, eight guys that can have double digit game and can defend uh and can also make plays offensively. This is who we are. This is how we build this team this year and this how we the m we’re going to have moving forward. We got to build callus every single night by giving maximum effort. Maybe off that. What did you learn from those guys who, you know, Ryan usually can anchor second unit with Cuz or Co, not available, right? So, here’s this group of guys who haven’t played together yet in a game. Um, and they’re as you’re you guys are resting or or breathing, they’re coming back and and taking off that that deficit. What what are you learning from them as you’re watching that and and seeing them kind of figure it out on the fly while also I love it. I feel like we have a lot of guys that are capable of making plays as said and play winning basketball, you know, and this is the culture that I think we’ve said from training camp like it doesn’t matter who step on the court, you got to make the right plays like I’ll say not to put him in the spot like the first uh possession that uh Rook came in and uh reject the pick and roll and broke the play and went uh baseline and turn the ball over. That’s a no no. you know, first position, you come in as a as a rookie, you got to make sure you run the all the play through. And this is how you as a leader, you got to go talk to him and say, “Hey, you got to run the whole play through.” You got to make sure you take to the second side and get AJ or GT a shot. But this is how you get better by keeping one another accountable. And especially when uh in the second unit when they’re in there and they’re making a run like the guys, the older guys, me, Miles, Bobby, you just got to keep on cheering them on. Like I think in the fourth quarter, coach Dak came to me and was like, “Hey, get ready.” I was like, “No, no, no. Let them play, you know, let them play.” Because like they were figuring things out. They were playing the right way. They were moving the ball. They were defending. The zone was really, really good. And as a leader, you got to be able to be okay with that. Um, that’s pretty much it. I I love where our mindset is. Uh, we are we are without being um how can I say this politely? without being a uh we keep one another accountable and that’s very very important and guys take the feedback. Um you go into this game this Cavs team plays double bigs they have big wings you know how physical they are. I think on the night you take 11 fouls that were called a bunch more physicality. How do you kind of get yourself up knowing that that’s what this game’s going to be kind of when you step onto the floor against the Cavs? I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen it all. I’ve played uh with two bigs guarding me. I’ve played with guys picking me full court uh wings. I’ve played with people double teaming in the post. I’ve played with people building the wall. I’ve played with a small guard guarding me. I’ve played with they they end up my goal if they come on the spin. I’ve played with three or four guys being in the paint. Uh I’m pretty much prepared for everything, you know. I just let my instincts take over. When I step on the court, I try to read the plays and whatever is available I take. If my teammate is open, I’m going to pass him the ball and I hope he makes the shot because that’s the right I play. And there’s going to be times that I’m going to play one-on-one and I’m going to take him and score. And there’s going to be times I going to take him and don’t score. And no matter what the outcome is, I’m okay with it because I just let I trust my instinct so much. I’ve worked so much in my life and I I’ve seen everything all kind of defense. Uh especially when you play FIA FIA basketball, their defense are tougher than NBA basketball. Not in the playoffs. I’m talking about regular season. Um, so I got I got I got the answers to the test and uh 30 years old now, I’m very confident and comfortable with whatever they throw at me. I think I have great teammates that go make shots and I’m able to take guys oneonone whenever I want.

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