Giannis Antetokounmpo not worried of early playoff exit via Heat upset: ‘No failure in sports’

Giannis Antetokounmpo gave credit when it is due following the Milwaukee Bucks’ early downfall this 2022-23 season, commending the wonderful effort of the feisty Miami Heat to eliminate them in five games of their first-round series.

But for him, their exit could be much attributed to their forwarded thinking of attaining their primary goal, instead of focusing themselves first on the initial step of this year’ playoff pathways.

“They were playing to beat us and we were playing to win a championship,” said Antetokounmpo. “You could see they were playing with so much energy, so much passion. They’re playing together. … We were a little bit ahead of ourselves, to be honest.”

The Bucks have entered the playoff stage boasting the best record of the NBA this 2022-23 with a 58-win season. Even before the season started, many have regarded the club to still retain their place as one of the most terrifying title contenders in the league bannered by the current best basketball player in the world.

Milwaukee ended the regular season on a high note, thanks to Antetokounmpo’s another MVP-caliber campaign of averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 boards in 55.3 percent shooting. Jrue Holiday posted an All-Star appearance for the second time in his career, while Brook Lopez and Bobby Portia submitted their finalist entries for the Defensive Player of the Year and the best Sixth Man award, respectively.

All signs were pointing at another strong rally by the Bucks in the Antetokounmpo era, but they were pulverized to ashes by a Heat team that fought their way from scratch as a Play-in wildcard.

The Heat, runners-up of last year’s Conference Finals, struggled throughout the year because of injuries and inconsistencies. They qualified to the playoffs and occupied the last slot of the Eastern Conference bracket, matching themselves up against the heavily-favored Bucks team.

Amid odds and their level of disparity from the regular season achievement, Miami boldly stood up with a fight and wasn’t intimidated by the towering challenge imposed by Milwaukee. Behind their leader in Jimmy Butler, who dropped 42 points in their closeout victory which was highlighted by a spectacular circus clutch shot to force a five-minute overtime, the eighth-seeded club cemented one of the most remarkable first-round upsets in the 76-year history of the NBA.

The Bucks crumbled in five games of the first-round against the high-spirited Heat, an unbelievable turn of events for a team that holds ultimate championship aspirations since Day 1 of the season. They were on the cusp of forcing a pivotal Game 6 in South Beach, leading by as much as 16 in the final frame on Wednesday night, but they went on to blow it up in a blunderous fashion for the second-straight occasion.

“They made shots. Jimmy made tough buckets, gotta give credit to him,” he said.

“And we just did not score. I think it was three, four minutes that we did not score the ball. That just give them momentum and give them confidence to come back to the game. We did that this game and we did it last game, and they took advantage of it. 

The untimely collapse by the Bucks this year puts the entire franchise in front of massive questions heading to a painful offseason. 

Possessing the oldest roster in the league, Milwaukee got a hefty amount of uncertainties on how they can improve their lineup and redeem themselves for a much better image. Antetokounmpo is set to enjoy his prime at 28 years of age, but his main supporting cast of Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez are all ageing and now in their 30s already.

The organization’s brass certainly got major work to accomplish for a 2023-24 season that has to serve as a redemption year. But for Giannis, their shortcomings this season can only be considered as a blessing in disguise for what they can build for years to come.

A shocking, premature postseason departure is not a “failure,” but a stepping stone to improve their foundation moving forward.

“Michael Jordan played 15 years, win six championships. … There’s no failure in sports,” Antetokounmpo said. “There’s good days, bad days. Some days you’re able to be successful. Some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn. Some days it’s not your turn. That’s what sports is about. You don’t always win. Some other groups gonna win, and this year somebody else is gonna win.

“We’re coming back next year, try to be better, try to build good habits, try to play better, not to have a 10-day stretch playing bad basketball and hopefully we can win a championship.”