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Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s Premier League win

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Jay Postrado | Last updated 5/19/24

The only word to describe the greatness of Manchester City is dynastic. Pep Guardiola has managed to squeeze every last effort out of his team and then some with proper rotations and schemes. Giannis Antetokounmpo saw how great the Phil Foden and Erling Haaland-led team was in their Premier League-clinching win against West Ham, all he could do was marvel at the astounding fashion by which they won.

Manchester City have won the Premier League for the fourth year in a row. A lot of it had to do with the utter talent that Pep Guardiola successfully managed. West Ham and the rest of the table were great but they were just on a very different level. One player, in particular, had such an insane run that Giannis Antetokounmpo could not help but give his flowers.

“Erling, I just want to say congratulations on another amazing season. You’ve been incredible, winning the Premier League again and also winning the Golden Boot. That’s unbelievable. Keep on getting better. I love the mentality that you have. You always go out there and try to do whatever is best for your team to win. I just love watching you play,” the Bucks legend said.

Erling Haaland also sent Giannis Antetokounmpo the Phantom Force 9. All the Bucks star kept asking about was how many buckets and goals he could score now that the Manchester City superstar had given him the same sneakers. After all, the person who gave it to him has scored 27 goals on just 31 fixtures for the whole season.

While Haaland could not notch a goal against West Ham, he was still of big help to Manchester City. He along with Kevin De Bruyne spaced the field out extremely well. Phil Foden and Rodri recognized the gravity of these star players and the amount of coverage they were getting. So, they took advantage. The 23-year-old notched goals during the second and eighth minutes for Pep Guardiola’s squad. Meanwhile, Rodri placed the nail on the coffin fairly early during the 57th minute to effectively end West Ham and give Manchester City their fourth Premier League trophy.

Bucks’ revenge tour incoming?

Apr 9, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) is helped off the floor in the third quarter and left game against the Boston Celtics with an injury at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

With all the greatness surrounding the Greek Freak and his squad, one might only think that they would want to reclaim their lost glory. All of that and more could be possible in the next regular season. The Bucks have already dealt with the growing pains of having their new forward and guard duo. Moreover, their rotations and scheme philosophy will only get better from here.

The most important thing for the Bucks is the steady leadership that Doc Rivers brings. A massive reason for their collapse was how fast the players needed to adapt to the transition from Adrian Griffin to their new head honcho. The unfortunate part was that Griffin was more offensive-minded and Rivers had his head set on defensive schemes.

Now, the Bucks can re-tool and focus on recreating that 2021 run that gave them the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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