How LeBron James vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo became a story

LeBron James exhibited sheer and utter dominance against the Milwaukee Bucks Monday night, willing his Cleveland Cavaliers to a 124-117 victory against a conference rival. He put up 40 points on 57.7 percent shooting with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. It was James’ second 40-point game of the season and his 16th triple double of the year.

More importantly for James, it was yet another brilliant performance against Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks’ star forward many have tabbed as the interim heir to The King’s throne until Ben Simmons is of age. It was a statement game for James that can be summed up in a few words: If you come for The King, you best not miss.

“I was talking to myself when I was taking a shower,” Antetokounmpo said postgame, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “And I was like, ‘OK, what did I do wrong guarding LeBron? Because he’s the first player ever to score 40 on me that easy.”

Amid a season rife with turmoil and dysfunction, The King has set one reminder during his busy schedule: Give the Bucks everything you’ve got.

James is averaging 31 points, eight assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals through four games against Milwaukee this season. He’s shooting 58.6 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from three-point range. James only averages better numbers against the Nuggets and the Wizards — he somehow averages a triple-double of 36 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 10 assists against Washington.

James’ production against Milwaukee is an uptick from last season, when he averaged 27.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 51.9 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three.

Last year, Milwaukee shellacked Cleveland, 118-101, in a late November game. Antetokounmpo tied a then career-high of 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting with the Bucks outscoring the Cavaliers by 20 while he was on the floor. He and Jabari Parker combined for 56 points on the night, for the second night in a row. It was a glimpse into what Milwaukee’s future could look like, provided everyone stays healthy.

But James reportedly saw the young Bucks in a different light. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James was privately “less than impressed” with how Antetokounmpo and Parker played at a higher level against the Cavaliers than they did against the rest of the league. “That made James wonder why Parker and Antetokounmpo don’t make that level of play their standard and become true professionals,” McMenamin wrote.

The numbers backed the story up. Milwaukee averaged 109.3 points per game against the Cavaliers vs. 103.9 on the season. Antetokounmpo averaged 29 points against James vs. 22.9 on the season. Parker shot 50 percent from three against Cleveland during a season where he shot 38 percent from downtown. The Bucks’ duo rose to the competition, especially against James, and The King certainly took note of it.

The next game, James played 47 minutes and went off for 34 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in a 114-108 win. Cleveland and Milwaukee played again the very next day. James had 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, and the Cavs won by nine.

In fact, since that late November Bucks’ win, Milwaukee has only won one of the subsequent seven games. James is averaging 31.4 points against the Bucks since that very game. The Bucks just haven’t been able to slow him down.

Cleveland has won the season series against Milwaukee, 3-1, this year and the two teams won’t play each other again this season. They probably won’t see each other in the playoffs either. Milwaukee’s a near lock as either the seventh or eighth seed in the East, and the Cavs have little to no chance at catching Toronto or Boston for the top two seeds in the conference.

But imagine if the world does get the Bucks vs. Cavs Giannis vs. LeBron playoff matchup it wants to see? That might go down as one for the books. We can only hope the basketball gods give us that showdown. If not, well, there’s always next season.