A Free-Throw Expert’s Advice for Giannis: Just Shoot It

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star, has frustrated fans and opponents with his drawn-out free-throw routine that often ends with a miss.

Philip Flory, a college basketball player from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., is a huge fan of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is rooting for them in the N.B.A. finals against the Phoenix Suns, though Flory has found himself cringing whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ do-everything forward and one of his favorite players, tries to do one of the few things that make him look vulnerable: shoot free throws. “It really bugs me,” Flory said. All things considered, Flory knows it is a nit-picky grievance. Antetokounmpo, a two-time winner of the N.B.A.’s Most Valuable Player Award, has been outstanding in the playoffs. On Wednesday, he displayed the full range of his skills as the Bucks evened the best-of-seven finals series at two games apiece. He collected 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists and preserved his team’s 109-103 win with a preposterous late-game block on the Suns’ Deandre Ayton.