Giannis Antetokounmpo has a habit of turning games into declarations. Tuesday night was no different. After a block on one end and a violent dunk on the other, the NBC cameras caught the two-time MVP shouting. The Bucks won 121-111, but the actual noise came from those four words that echoed through Fiserv Forum and right into every Knicks fan’s feed. It wasn’t the first time Giannis made headlines against New York, but this time, they felt louder than ever.

“THIS IS MY CITY!” Giannis Antetokounmpo declared after forcing the Knicks to call a timeout. A line that instantly sent Madison Square Garden Twitter into meltdown as ESPN’s Shams Charania disclosed, “The Knicks have had an eye on Antetokounmpo for the past couple of years under president Leon Rose,” They wanted him this summer.

They called, they asked, they pitched per Charania, stating: “The Bucks picked up the Knicks’ call on Antetokounmpo, and the sides engaged in conversations for a window of time in August, league sources said, but the teams never got traction on a deal.”

But everyone knows how this league works. Superstars don’t leave overnight. And Giannis, two years from free agency and one year from a decision Milwaukee can’t afford to mishandle, might have just watered it.

He backed it all up with 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 72.7% shooting in a 121-111 win over those same Knicks. Giannis made it look effortless, playing the kind of basketball that makes executives in Manhattan wonder what it would look like under the Garden lights. Doc Rivers, though, didn’t want to hear any of it.

“No, I think you guys [in New York] had a lot of drama. We had none. That’s actual factual,” Rivers said before tipoff. The Bucks head coach has spent weeks trying to shut down speculation about his star’s future. Asked again if the rumors were a distraction, Rivers snapped.

“I’ve already said that. I’m not gonna keep repeating it. You want me to say it again for you?” Giannis, as always, has been choosing calm over chaos. He reiterated his belief in Milwaukee, his teammates, and his focus on the present, but left a familiar sliver of curiosity open.

“The moment that I step in this facility, I wear this jersey. The rest does not matter. I’m locked in,” he said earlier this month. “Now, if in six, seven months I change my mind, that’s human too.” That sliver is all it takes to keep the NBA spinning. Because when Giannis leaves even an inch of daylight, the league kicks the door wide open.

Could Giannis Antetokounmpo choose Manhattan over Milwaukee?

The Knicks know that better than anyone as they timed Mikal Bridges’ extension to line up with the trade deadline, just in case. It’s no coincidence. And yet, the Bucks don’t sound panicked. They’ve seen this before. Giannis is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 36 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists to start the season while shooting 69.5%.

He made history by becoming the only player ever to post 100+ points, 40+ rebounds, and 15+ assists through his first three games of the year. The production speaks louder than any quote could. But the quote here might be just as important. 

“I’ve seen it all,” he said calmly after the game against Cleveland. “Two bigs guarding me, guys picking me full court, double teams in the post. I just let my instincts take over.” Even Doc Rivers admitted, “He doesn’t react. That’s who he is.”

Even the Knicks’ head coach, Mike Brown, has chimed in on the Giannis conversation, saying, “Oh man, he’s a monster. He just causes everybody to pay attention to him all the time. And you can’t just do it with one guy… With as talented as players are, it’s literally five guys who have to guard the basketball. That holds true more with him than anybody else just because he’s so long, smart and strong. He can finish in traffic. So you’ve got to show him bodies early.”

The Knicks are trying to prove they can still be the kind of team a player like Giannis would want to join. But every time he takes the court and declares ownership of the spotlight, that hypothetical fades a little further.

For now, New York can only watch from afar as the Greek Freak reminds the world that the city he’s claiming isn’t Manhattan, but Milwaukee.

And yet, the NBA never stays quiet for long. As February inches closer and the Bucks navigate life without their co-star, every quote and highlight will be dissected.