INCREDIBLE: Giannis Antetokounmpo says choosing Milwaukee Bucks was the worst mistake has ever made….
The Milwaukee Bucks, who missed the last stretch of the 2023–24 NBA season without their top player Giannis Antetokounmpo, will have a lot of what-if scenarios to deal with. The last time we saw Antetokounmpo on the floor was on April 9th, when he suffered a calf injury against the Boston Celtics.
Even so, the Bucks were matched with the Indiana Pacers as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee had tight competition from Indiana during the regular season, going 4-1 against their Central Division rivals.
It would be far more difficult without Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup. The Milwaukee Bucks managed to win the first game, but when they lost the second, they gave up home court advantage. As the team headed out on the road, fresh injuries made the situation even worse for them taking place.
Damian Lillard was out due to an Achilles problem, while Khris Middleton persevered despite a sprained ankle. Despite Lillard’s absence from Games 4 and 5, the Bucks managed to avoid elimination thanks to a strong home game effort from Bobby Portis and middleton in Game 5.
Even though Lillard was able to rejoin the starting lineup for Game 6, the Pacers’ relentless attack was too much for him to overcome. After overwhelming Milwaukee 120-98, Indiana advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and faced the New York Knicks.
For the Bucks, things might have transpired differently if the Greek Freak had been well. He acknowledged that he gave it his all in an attempt to rejoin the starting lineup, but he never truly came close.”I made every effort to return and support my teammates,” Giannis Antetokounmpo remarked on Friday. “Seeing them out there and knowing that I couldn’t help them is kind of hard, but I just couldn’t.”
“I completed all of the required tests; they were similar to protocols that you had to follow and boxes to be checked. I failed miserably to check all the boxes.
The Milwaukee Bucks player could only run at 30–40 percent, so he needed to overcome a few more obstacles before he could have returned to the court. It will take him another two or three weeks to recuperate before he decides what to do next.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has indicated his desire to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris, so that will be something. However, Greece must first secure a spot in a qualifying competition in July. By then, he ought to be well, though he might decide to take a longer break during the winter.
