Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
PHOENIX — A mere nine days before Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s right knee bent so far inward toward his other knee, he thought he would miss a whole year of basketball. The physics of that injury still don’t quite make sense. Giannis’s leg looked like it was suffering from a video game glitch, not participating in a natural, human action.