Colin Cowherd Says Giannis is Third-Best Player in NBA Finals
Colin Cowherd has blessed us with another outlandish take. While previewing the Bucks-Suns NBA Finals series, Cowherd made a list of the 10 best players in the series and ranked Giannis Antetokounmpo third. The full six-minute segment is below:
It is clear that Cowherd is baiting us from his tweet’s preview alone, but I will happily take a bite.
For starters, Antetokounmpo is without a doubt the best player in these finals, and the two-time MVP does not deserve this sort of slander. He is currently listed as ‘questionable’ for Game 1 tonight. Could Chris Paul or Devin Booker potentially impact their team more? Sure. Will Antetokounmpo’s health be a significant factor in this series? Absolutely, but we cannot just sit here and act like Antetokounmpo not only elevates this Bucks team. Even when at “80%” as he is right now according to Cowherd, he can still wreak havoc in transition and in the half-court.
I am fine with Chris Paul and Devin Booker following Antetokounmpo on this list. Both have carried this Suns squad through a hastily put-together regular season, then LeBron’s Lakers, the MVP’s Nuggets, and the Paul George-led Clippers. The run has been impressive, and the Suns’ combination of wisdom and youth in this backcourt should have any Phoenix fan believing “Suns in 4“.
Now we are in the 4-6 range of Cowherd’s list. The Fox Sports pundit had it ranked as so: 4) Jrue Holiday, 5) Khris Middleton and 6) Deandre Ayton. I do want to recognize that Cowherd’s points here were sensible. Holiday’s plus/minus is indicative of how his arrival in Milwaukee made this squad better. Middleton clinched the Eastern Conference finals for the Bucks just a few days ago and Ayton’s versatility and defense have allowed Phoenix to truly come into their own.
Nevertheless, I’m re-ranking Cowherd’s list like this: at four, we have Middleton, just behind him is Ayton and Holiday slides in at sixth. This is not to discount Holiday’s importance to the squad but to illustrate that Cowherd’s list involves the “best players” in this series, and Middleton and Ayton are better players than the former Pelican.
The rest of the list is acceptable. They are all interchangeable and they each provide their own spark for their respective teams. Brook Lopez dropped 33 points in Game 5 against the Hawks and could certainly provide some matchup problems for the Suns if he gets hot. Cameron Payne has played well off the bench for the Phoenix. I have liked Mikal Bridges since his days at Villanova and of course, I have to mention Jae Crowder: the Suns’ talisman in the eyes of Trey Daubert. If you do not understand, take a look at this clip from last month.
Cowherd once again had me fuming on a Tuesday afternoon, but I guess that just means he and Fox Sports are doing exactly what they intended. Regardless, his list is still wrong.
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