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"That's scary"- Grant Hill thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo will suit up for Greece in the Basketball World Cup extra motivated

The Greek Freak will surely seek redemption in the Basketball World Cup.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
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With the shocking early exit of the Milwaukee Bucks from the NBA playoffs, people may see an extra motivated Giannis Antetokounmpo should he suit up for Greece in the upcoming Basketball World Cup.

Grant Hill, the USA Basketball managing director, is expecting that Antetokounmpo will be in fearsome form should the Greek Freak decide to suit up for Greece.

"They were eliminated recently, so Giannis will have maybe a longer offseason than he's had in recent years," said Hill.

Scary Giannis

Giannis and the Bucks were eliminated in the very first round of the playoffs, losing to the Miami Heat in their best-of-seven series, 4-1.

The early exit was least expected after the Bucks finished the regular season as the overall top seed.

With the shocking defeat, Giannis would undoubtedly want to atone for his bungled job with the Bucks.

"That's scary," Hill said.

Biggest basketball tournament

A total of 32 teams will compete in the tournament that runs from August 25th through September 10th.

During the draw on April 28th at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines, Greece was placed in Group C, joining the United States, Jordan, and New Zealand.

The USA squad is the four-time defending Olympic champion, but they finished seventh at the most recent World Cup in 2019. They will play New Zealand on August 26th, then face Greece on August 28th, and conclude group-stage play with their August 30th duel with Jordan.

Groups A and B matches will be played at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, while the Mall of Asia Arena, also in Manila, will be the venue for the Groups C and D games.

Groups E and F games will be played in Okinawa, Japan, while Jakarta, Indonesia, will host Groups G and H games.

The World Cup is considered FIBA's biggest tournament and serves as a qualifier for next year's Paris Olympics.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.