ATLANTA — Giannis Antetokounmpo walked off the court with a gigantic smile.
He had on a 2021 Finals hat with the Milwaukee Bucks logo, just like his teammates. But unlike his teammates, he wasn’t in uniform, wearing a black Bucks T-shirt and black cutoff sweatpants.
It was a strange juxtaposition.
The Bucks had just won the Eastern Conference championship and advanced to the NBA Finals with a 118-107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 on Saturday, and Antetokounmpo didn’t play. He also missed Game 5, another Bucks victory, due to a hyperextended left knee sustained in Game 4.
All this talk the past few seasons about whether he can lead the