Milwaukee’s Last Chance to Impress Giannis
As of December 2019, the Milwaukee Bucks have looked astonishing in terms of their play on the court. This is primarily due to their superstar and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokoumpo. Giannis looks like the front-runner to win MVP again this year with his ridiculous numbers and his teams’ winning record. His individual accolades have been amazing. However, through these past two years, Giannis has fallen short in the playoffs and has not made the NBA Finals yet.
In 2018, the Bucks had made the NBA playoffs as the seventh seed and played the Boston Celtics who were missing their best player in Kyrie Irving. The Bucks who were projected by many analysts to win the series ended up losing in seven games to a team without their superstar.
Last year, the Bucks were up 2–0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors which they then blew with the Raptors coming back to win the next four games.
Obviously, playoff losses are a part of every young star, but what happens when enough is enough? Giannis knows that every single NBA legend has won multiple championships in their careers and he wants to be in the conversation as one of the greatest basketball players of all time by the time his career is over. With his current situation, he probably could make the NBA Finals itself, but could he win it? Teams like the Lakers, Clippers, or the Rockets are loaded and have more playoff experience than the Bucks which only adds more challenge to Giannis’ quest.
Giannis has stated that he wants to play in Milwaukee his whole career but that is only a statement. Experts and friends close to Kevin Durant thought for sure he was staying in Oklahoma City but we know how that situation ended up. This is why the Bucks must do everything in their power to surround Giannis with the right pieces and especially another star if they want him to stay. Khris Middleton, as good as he is, is not really a second option on a championship contender, more like a third or fourth option. Giannis deep-down wants to stay in Milwaukee but also wants to win, and it can only happen if the Bucks change their team.
Giannis is working on his game continuously which is a signal to Milwaukee’s front office on what they should be doing. There is only so much one player can do, which is why basketball is a team sport. Milwaukee’s team is no way, shape, or form a bad team, they still have the best record in basketball. But, changes are needed if they want to elevate and reach the ultimate goal.
If the Bucks were to fall short again in the playoffs this year, we will definitely be hearing a lot more Giannis leaving Milwaukee rumors. If not though, Bucks fans should celebrate knowing they will have their star for the foreseeable future.
