Giannis Antetokounmpo did all he could.
Yet again, it was not enough as a combination of injuries and mistakes from Antetkounmpo’s supporting cast doomed the Milwaukee Bucks’ season, which ended with a stunning 119-118 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Antetokounmpo averaged 33 points, 15.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over about 38 minutes per game — plus one block and one steal — in the five-game series loss. In the deciding game, he was masterful yet again, putting up 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists in 44 minutes, effectively willing the fifth-seeded Bucks home for a Game 6.
But even that could not the Bucks from blowing a 20-point first-half advantage, close with a four-point lead with 53 seconds in regulation or stop a dumbfounding 8-0 Indiana run over the final 40 seconds of overtime — which included Gary Trent Jr.’s fumbled pass that led to Tyrese Haliburton’s go-ahead layup with one second left.
The Bucks were bounced in the first round for the third year in a row.
“It doesn’t feel good,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the loss. “I’ve got to look myself in the mirror, and I have to be better.”
Championship window shut
With Lillard likely to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the best-of-7 series — after missing Game 1 with deep-vein thrombosis — it’s safe to wonder if the Bucks’ window to compete is up.
Despite continued regular-season success, the Bucks have only won one playoff round since their six-game Finals win over the Suns in 2021. Milwaukee is on its third coach — firing both Mike Budenholzer and Adrian Griffin before bringing on Doc Rivers — since the championship.
Lillard’s tenure as one of the game’s most feared shooters may continue, but he isn’t likely to live up to his stunning $121-plus-million owed over the next two seasons. Mainstays Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis are free agents — as is Trent, who filled in for Lillard admirably against Indy — and the Bucks won’t have their own first-round pick until at least 2031.
Most fan bases would trade that mess for the title. But with Antetokounmpo’s dominance leading to 48 wins and the No. 5 seed in the East, it seems like things will get worse before they get better there.
A Freakish Trade?
All the drama in Milwaukee played out with the whispers about Antetokounmpo’s future lingering in the background, and those have only grown louder since Milwaukee was ousted. Nothing stays the same for long in the NBA, especially with the Bucks up against the dreaded second salary-cap apron.
So the Bucks may want to tear it down to reload, and the easiest way to do so would be to land a king’s ransom for their two-time MVP. They could get valuable picks and players and avoid the full-blown tank-and-rebuild required for many erstwhile contenders to get back to the top — especially in a market like Milwaukee.
Nearly every outlet had posts about their favorite or most likely Antetokounmpo trade — even though the Greek Freak himself would not answer when asked about the possibility of leaving Milwaukee.
“I’m not gonna do this,” Antetkounmpo said. “I know how this is gonna — whatever I say I know it’s going to translate. I don’t know man. I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still competing and going back to Milwaukee. I don’t know.”
Milwaukee trading Giannis would be a disaster for the organization, since stars like him don’t come around there often. Consider also Antetkounmpo’s demeanor, which led to remarkably reflective comments — shortly after both having his season end and beefing with Haliburton’s dad on the court.
“There’s a lot of times that life has made me sad or frustrated since I was kid,” Antetokounmpo said. “I never give up. I try to find solutions in my life. Even though things may not happen the way I want them to happen, I always have class and optimistic mentality and there’s going to be a day where it’s your turn. It cannot always go your way.
“I keep on believing in myself and keep on believing in God and just keep on coming. And one day it’s going to be my turn.”
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