With well being points, a banned participant, and incapacity to beat the highest groups of their convention, the Milwaukee Bucks issues are piling up.
With Damian Lillard out till additional discover as a result of a blood clot analysis, the Milwaukee Bucks are reeling.
Doc Rivers has been defiantly optimistic about his crew’s capabilities to push by way of, however the Bucks are already feeling the impression of the absence of their celebrity guard.
On March 29, Milwaukee suffered one more blow, enduring a 116-107 residence loss in opposition to the New York Knicks.
The defeat means the Bucks (40-33) are actually the sixth-seeded crew on the Japanese Convention. Within the wake of the Detroit Pistons’ dramatic rise whereas dropping eight of their final 12 video games, they’ve slipped down the standings.
The Bucks have did not win in any common season video games in opposition to the Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics, the present top-three groups within the East.
That is alarming for Milwaukee contemplating that there’s a important probability that they should undergo them within the playoffs, and will face the No. 3 Knicks as early as the primary spherical. However in the long run, Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t care much less about it.
“If we now have the chance to see (New York) within the playoffs, or whoever we see within the playoffs, we now have to be the hardest, nastiest crew on the market, he mentioned in postgame after dropping 30 factors on a dropping effort.
“We’ve to. That’s the one probability we’re gonna get to be good. We’re gonna watch movie, we’re gonna be higher.”
Giannis additional defined: “The final six years I’ve been, I believe thrice the No. 1 crew within the East, No. 1 crew within the NBA. I’ve been twice, I believe, third. I’ve been one time fourth. It doesn’t actually matter.
“I’ve performed in opposition to Toronto within the Japanese Convention Finals (in 2019) and within the common season we beat them 4-0, or 3-0 — they by no means beat us. We have been the No. 1 seed within the East and we misplaced from Miami, that was the No. 8 seed and so they went all the best way to the Finals (in 2023).
“Like, on the finish of the day, the one factor I take into consideration is we now have the common season, 9 video games left, after which we now have two months to alter our lives. That’s just about it. You gotta lock in two months, and keep wholesome, and go on the market and compete. That’s all you gotta take into consideration.
“I’m not going to consider what occurred in December once we misplaced to the Knicks or Boston. It doesn’t actually matter. If you get into the playoffs, something can occur.”
With Lillard out indefinitely, Antetokounmpo is slated to hold a heavy burden of accountability for the Bucks for the rest of the 12 months. The Greek celebrity has been one of many league’s MVP candidates, averaging 30.2 factors per sport with 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per 34.0 minutes.
However he alone received’t be capable of raise the Bucks of their desired place as even argued by a former NBA star. For this, Antetokounmpo can solely depend on the likes of Brook Lopez, the returning Bobby Portis, and several other different wildcard gamers to assist him.
As troublesome because the problem it is perhaps to proceed pursuing a championship with out their franchise guard, Antetokounmpo stays spirited about his crew’s probabilities when they’re all clicking and in concord.
“That is who we’re,” Antetokounmpo mentioned.
“Clearly Bobby [Portis] goes to be again in a number of video games. It’s going to assist us. Jericho [Sims] goes to be again and going to be greater to offer Brook a break.
“We’ve to maintain on watching movie as a crew and carry on coming collectively and check out to determine methods to win video games.”
