With only a couple seconds remaining and the Milwaukee Bucks leading by seven points, Giannis Antetokounmpo got the ball in the open court.
Instead of just running the clock out, Giannis chose to throw down a massive windmill dunk.
It wasn't a favorite move of the fans in Chicago, but Antetokounmpo felt he was sending a message.
This is how he explained it postgame to The Athletic's Eric Nehm:
"What, we're 11th in the East? Are we 11th in the East or 12th? 11th? Just gotta keep finding our identity. And if that is to get a little bit of scrappy at the end, so be it. Like, we're not the champs. Why should we play the clock out and have respect and fair play? Like we're fighting for our lives right now. This is real talk. I've been 13 years in the league, if we keep on losing, brother, probably half of the team's not gonna be here. We're not gonna make the playoffs (in 11th). Like, I really don't care. At the end of the day, I just want to be available, be healthy and help my team win. And if that's what has to happen for them - everybody - to take up and understand like we're fighting for our lives and we gotta get our hands dirty, so be it."
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That's a strong statement from Antetokounmpo.
He, of course, is heavily involved in trade rumors, but it's not clear whether a deal is actually even close to being forthcoming.
The Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, and right now, they're trending to not even make it into the bracket.
Giannis wants to provide his team a jolt, and he's doing everything he can to make that happen.
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