In the aftermath of a brutal blowout to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo kept it real with the media on his faith in the Milwaukee Bucks‘ title chances. Despite their recent struggles, Giannis says that he will never stop believing that his team can win it all.
“I don’t care if we lose five in a row,” said Antetokuonmpo, via Eric Nehm. “I believe in our abilities. I believe that no matter where we end up in the East, we have a chance to compete while we’re healthy. And that’s the number one thing, our number one opponent in the last couple of years. So right now, that’s the opponent I’m fighting, we’re fighting – health.”
The Bucks were just a few years removed from their NBA championship when they mixed up their core and swapped Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. At the time, the trade was widely praised by critics and fans, who raved at the strength and talent of the Bucks’ new duo.
Sadly, their tenure together hasn’t been so great thus far. Last season was a complete disaster for the Bucks, who finished 3rd in the East at 49-33. Their star tandem had no chemistry together and their new point guard was miserable with ongoing family problems that became a major distraction.
With limited options in the offseason, the Bucks decided to run it back with their roster with hopes that a full training camp under Doc Rivers would get everyone on the same page.
This season, it’s been up and down for the Bucks. At the start, the Bucks were losing games at a shocking pace and they were near the bottom of the standings for a while. It’s just recently that the Bucks found their groove. They went on a nice win streak through the in-season tournament and even made history by becoming the second team ever to win the NBA Cup.
Of course, the Bucks got a hard reality check on Friday night when they lost in a 23-point blowout to the Cavaliers. At 15-12, the Bucks still have far to go before they can challenge the Eastern juggernauts and many believe that the Lillard-Giannis duo will never be able to succeed.
But no matter how bad things get, Giannis will never give up on his title ambitions and he will never lose faith in his team. This season, through 24 games, he’s averaging 32.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on 61.3% shooting. As one of the leading MVP candidates, he’s single-handedly keeping the Bucks in the top six in the East and his mere presence put them in the championship conversation.
It remains to be seen if the Bucks can hold their current trajectory, but we’ve seen enough from Giannis to know that it’s never a good idea to count him out. If he and Lillard can develop their chemistry and get some help from the supporting cast, it may just be enough for them to challenge the NBA elites.
For now, the Bucks are taking it one game at a time, and their next fight isn’t until Monday, December 23rd, against the Chicago Bulls at United Center (8:00 PM EST). On the 26th, the Bucks return home for a game against the Brooklyn Nets at 8:00 PM EST. They return to Chicago after that, to face the Bulls once again on December 28th at 8:00 PM EST.
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