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Dropping 37 on Celtics is just the start of the Greek Freak's MVP bid

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Russell Westbrook is paired with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in Oklahoma City. LeBron James has Kevin Love and one of the league's deepest rosters at his disposal. James Harden and Chris Paul form one of the Association's more dynamic backcourts.

Unlike most other elite players around the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't have another All-Star talent next to him on the Milwaukee Bucks. It didn't hold him back Wednesday night. In a 108-100 road win over the Boston Celtics, "The Greek Freak" put on a performance that let the basketball world know he's in this season's Most Valuable Player race to win it.

Milwaukee took advantage of a Boston squad that played the previous evening, when it lost Gordon Hayward to what could be a season-ending injury. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 37 points (16 of which came in the fourth quarter) on efficient 13-of-22 shooting from the field, and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe. He chipped in 13 rebounds to complete the double-double, along with three assists and three steals in 37 minutes of action.

Since going 15th overall to Milwaukee in the 2012 draft, Antetokounmpo's level of growth from season to season has been truly remarkable. He made his biggest leap in 2016-17 and took home Most Improved Player honors as a result.

Kevin Durant projected Antetokounmpo's ceiling as "the best player to ever play," if that was something he truly wanted to accomplish. We've never seen anyone with Antetokounmpo's size and length impact the game in as many ways as he does. Just last season, he became only the fifth player to ever lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, and became the first player to rank in the top 20 overall in each of those statistical categories.

Wins and losses receive huge weight in a player's MVP bid, so in order for "The Greek Freak" to truly be in the conversation, his team can't finish two games over the .500 mark like it did last season.

Luckily for the Bucks, they're in the wide-open Eastern Conference, where the Cleveland Cavaliers are the only true juggernaut. There's room at the top below LeBron and Co. for Milwaukee to hang with the likes of the Celtics (who are now vulnerable without Hayward), the Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors.

One of the challenges Kobe Bryant assigned over the summer was for Antetokounmpo to go for MVP. Remember, he's only 22 years old - still a few years away from his prime in terms of conditioning and maturation.

Yet Antetokounmpo's already a certified superstar who's only going to get better. The 2017-18 campaign may be his time to shine brighter than anyone else - and bring home the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as a result.

How does one stop what could be unstoppable? We have 81 more games to watch 29 other teams give it their best shot.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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