There’s no denying that Wednesday night was a truly special occasion for Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard as he made his much-anticipated return to his former home. The Portland Trail Blazers faithful welcomed their former cornerstone superstar back with the warmest of receptions, which prompted an equally emotional reaction from Lillard.
Once you set all that aside, however, it’s hard to overlook the fact that the Bucks just lost to a now 15-33 Portland side that currently has the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Message for Damian Lillard
For his part, Giannis Antetokounmpo admitted that he enjoyed seeing Dame get the reception that he did in his first game back in Portland. According to the former back-to-back MVP, moments like these serve as a reminder as to “why we play this game” in the first place.
At the same time, however, Giannis also wants to remind Lillard and the rest of the team to keep their eyes on the prize:
“Coming to Portland and people showing him love, he deserves it,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “He earned every single thing that is coming his way. Now we just have to finish the last thing that he wants and I want and the whole group here wants. We want to be the last team standing, but we gotta work.
“It’s enough talking; we gotta work.”
Giannis is very much aware of the fact that Lillard came to Milwaukee with one objective in mind. He also knows that the Bucks will need to be much better than they were on Wednesday night if they want to be a serious contender for the title.
As he said, a lot of work still needs to be done before they reach their ultimate goal.
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