The only positive thing about the Milwaukee Bucks’ Wednesday night loss to the Indiana Pacers is that they get a chance to redeem themselves the following day. Milwaukee is in action again on Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs in the second night of a back-to-back set, which presents itself as an opportunity to get back to winning ways.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, there won’t be any redemption for them against Indiana now that Tyrese Haliburton and Co. have closed out their season series 4-1.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Real on Four Losses Vs. Indiana
Wednesday’s showdown was Milwaukee’s fifth and final matchup against the Pacers this year — at least in the regular season. This means that unless they face off in the playoffs, Indiana will hold bragging rights over their Central Division rivals for the foreseeable future.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is well aware of this notion. In fact, he even sent his team a warning before Wednesday’s contest as they faced the prospect of losing their fourth game against the Pacers in just the third month of the season.
Despite Giannis’ stern message, however, that’s still exactly what happened on Wednesday night.
“They played harder. They’re being more physical. They executed better,” Antetokounmpo said of the Pacers after the game, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “They’re making shots. They’re playing together. They’re playing fast. They’re crashing the boards. They’re guarding. They’re loading, they are double teaming. And they’re rebounding the ball. That’s why they were able to win four times this season.”
Giannis Sees the Silver Lining
There’s no denying that the result of Wednesday’s game is highly disappointing for a Bucks side that has championship aspirations this season. However, it is this ultimate objective that Giannis wants his team to focus on as he reflects on the silver lining of their deflating defeat:
“I know right now it feels like the end of the world, but it’s not the end of the world. It was good because we’re going to play with more urgency, we’re going to respect opponents more, we’re gonna execute better. And now … I think we realize as a team that there’s teams out there that can beat us four times in a season.
“Now, when you go back home and you sleep and you wake up, you think about it. Now, when you go back and work out, you think about it. In the All-Star break, when you’re gonna be on an exotic beach with your family, I hope you think about it, you know? You’re about to get freaky at night, you think about it. But at the end of the day, it’s good because it gives us time to fix things.”
Setting the freakiness of his message aside, this is a serious call to arms from the Bucks talisman. It’s now up to the squad to heed their leader’s call.
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