Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo thrives by living in the moment during NBA Finals

PHOENIX — The realization hit Giannis Antetokounmpo a few seasons ago.

If he reveled in what he accomplished, he knew what came next.

"I did this, 'I'm so great. I had 30, I had 25-10-10,' whatever the case might be, you're going to think about that," Antetokounmpo said. "Usually the next day you're going to suck, you know? Simple as that. The next few days you're going to be terrible. I figured out a mindset to have that when you focus on the past, that's your ego."

And if he concentrated on the future, what he thought about never materialized.

"When I focus on the future, it's my pride," he explained. '"Yeah, next game, Game 5, I do this and this and this. I'm going to dominate.' That's your pride talking. It doesn't happen."

The Milwaukee Bucks star is guided by a philosophy that many try to achieve: live in and embrace the present.

"I try to focus on the moment, in the present. That's humility. That's being humble," he said. "That's not setting no expectation. That's going out there, enjoying the game, competing at a high level. I've had people throughout my life that helped me with that. But that is a skill that I've tried to master.

"It's been working so far, so I'm not going to stop."

Antetokounmpo may not like doing all the required media obligations during the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns — not just print and online reporters in attendance, but ESPN/ABC, NBATV and ESPN Radio interviews, too.

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But he has been a joy to interact with in interview sessions, whether it’s his sheepish way of explaining he had to take a "tinkle" early in the first quarter of Games 1 and 2 and that’s why he checked out of the game, or thoughtfully explaining how he blocked Deandre Ayton’s alley-oop dunk attempt in Game 4, or trying to get his young son Liam to stay quiet while he’s answering questions, or joking how much he hates it when an opponent "builds a wall" to prevent him from driving to the rim.

Antetokounmpo’s ability to try and live in the moment has propelled him to stardom where he's not afraid to fail or acknowledge weaknesses.

"I know who I am," he said.

He has been spectacular in the NBA Finals with two 40-plus point games and is just one of 12 players in NBA history to have two 40-point games in the Finals, alongside players named West, James, O’Neal, Jordan, Wade, Pettit, Irving, Havlicek, Baylor, Mikan and Barry.

In four NBA Finals games — the series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 Saturday in Phoenix (9 p.m. ET, ABC) — Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.3 points, 14 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks and shooting 60.4% from the field.

With as many as three games remaining and plenty of room for change, Antetokounmpo and Phoenix’s Devin Booker have emerged as the top Finals MVP candidates for their teams.

Throughout this series, Antetokounmpo has said he can’t predict the future and doesn’t want to talk much about the past.

During Friday's media availability, the topic turned to Antetokounmpo’s mindset and he joked, "We were talking about basketball. Now we're talking about mental skill. Let's talk about basketball."

But he gave his Zen-like explanation of why he chooses to focus that way.

"You have your plan: I want to be great, I want to help my team win, I want to do this," he said. "Every day you wake up, now you do little things that take you to that, right? Imagine a line. This is where we are. This is the objective. This is the end. Now there's little things you do, which this is the present. Being in the present allows you to do those things in order for you to get there."

Antetokounmpo takes that approach to a micro-level. In Game 4, the closest, most intense game of the series, he says he stayed in the moment.

"If you go back and think about the specific (last) three minutes of Game 4, and it could go either way, now the environment kind of gets heavy," Antetokounmpo said. "But at that specific moment, I wasn't thinking about what's going to happen at the end of the game. I was thinking about that specific play. 'How can I set a good screen for Khris (Middleton)? How can I block a shot? How can I rebound the ball? How can I run? How can I get the easy layup? What can I do to help the team win?"'

He sets aside his ego and pride.

All we have is this moment, and at 26 years old, Antetokounmpo has found wisdom sooner than many.

"I'm not saying it's going to make you better." he said. "But it's going to make you enjoy your life more. That's the objective, to enjoy every single moment you can. You're not going to be happy all the time, but it's to have joy."

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis Antetokounmpo thrives in NBA Finals by living in the moment