One man can’t topple the the world’s basketball power.
Greece had the chance to test that hypothesis in the FIBA World Cup, entering the tournament with the best player in NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Team USA held him to 15 points on 7-for-11 to defeat Greece, 69-53, but the best defense on Giannis came from bench — courtesy of coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos.
Skourtopoulos instead imitated the adage that only Dean Smith could stop Michael Jordan. He benched Giannis for the full fourth quarter, while his teammates scored Greece’s lone victory in a quarter, 16-15. Skourtopoulos previously drew ire for his limited usage of Antetokounmpo in Greece’s last-second loss to Brazil.