David Vantress: Giannis, Bucks give Wisconsinites something to cheer for

Jul. 23—In the 2011 baseball movie "Moneyball," Jonah Hill's character Peter Brand refers to former Boston Red Sox star Kevin Youklis as the "Greek God of Walks."

Let's call Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokouonmpo the "Greek God of Blocks."

Sure, Antetokouonmpo's prolific scoring is a big part of the reasons the Bucks are the 2020-21 champs.

This came after a 50-year drought that stretched back to the days of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

But Antetokouonmpo's defense—specifically his shot-blocking—was just as important to the Bucks' memorable title run this season.

Antetokouonmpo averaged 1.2 blocks per game this season.

But arguably none were more important than his emphatic fourth-quarter Game 4 stuff of Deandre Ayton's try for an alley-oop dunk off a Devin Booker pass that sealed the Bucks' 109-103 win.

After Antetokouonmpo's scary knee injury in the Eastern Conference semis, things were looking pretty iffy for the finals.

Instead, Antetokouonmpo shook off a hyperextended knee and came up with one of the greatest, gutsiest performances in the NBA's storied history.

And in the process, he gave us all here in Wisconsin something to cheer about in these still-tough times—as well as something to treasure and talk about for years to come.

As a 10-year-old in Portland, Oregon in early June 1977, I got to see my beloved Trail Blazers—who'd aspired to mediocrity since their inception in 1970—win it all.

For the first six years of their existence, the Blazers posted a combined record of 170-322. They finished ninth in the Western Conference each of their first four seasons.

Things started to change in 1974 when Portland drafted a big guy with the first pick in the draft.

You might remember him: A guy by the name of Bill Walton out of UCLA.

Sunday, June 5, 1977 is a day that sticks out in my memory for several reasons: It was the day the Blazers, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, clinched the NBA title with a 109-107 win over the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.

As fate would have it, that was my weekend with my dad, and we watched the game at his apartment in northeast Portland. I also remember fondly that one of Dad's friends brought his pet mountain lion over with him.

That was a fun conversation with Mom when Dad dropped me off that night: "How was your weekend with your Dad, honey?"

"Great," I said. "There was a mountain lion there."

"That's nice, honey," Mom replied. Somehow, I don't think she was paying attention.

The day is also memorable for one sour note for us Blazer fans: Instead of airing the champagne-soaked locker room celebration, CBS Sports cut immediately to final round coverage of ... wait for it...

The Kemper Open.

And yeah, I'm not the only Blazer fan still grousing over that 44-year-old slight.

But it's memories like these that linger in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

Many more such memories have been made here in the Badger State over a special season for a special team led by a special player.

And the fun should continue all summer and into the fall as the Brewers make a run at the team's first National League pennant since 1982 and the days of Harvey's Wallbangers.

The seemingly never-ending soap opera starring the Green Bay Packers and apparently disgruntled future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers? That's a topic for another day. Another day soon, but another day regardless.

Today, let's celebrate the heroics of the Greek Freak and his Bucks teammates, who have brought a winning-starved city and state the best kind of victory: A championship.

David Vantress is sports editor of the Janesville Gazette. Contact him at 755-8248, or via email at dvantress@gazettextra.com. Follow him on Twitter at @journodave1966.