ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday morning that star forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is injured and could miss game one of the NBA playoffs.
Sources say that Giannis has been receiving “around the clock” treatment on a left calf strain. The injury occurred about a week ago in a win over the Celtics. Three of the last four games of the season Giannis missed due to the injury. Furthermore, it being a non-contact injury, initially we were preparing for the worst. When reports came through that it was merely a calf strain, the team exhaled.
But what seemed like just a precautionary benching to end the season is now developing into a real concern for the Bucks. Now, they are “hopeful” Antetokounmpo will be able to return at all in the first round. And it’s not like Milwaukee has an easy first round matchup.
Giannis’ injury for game one of the playoffs could pose a problem for the Bucks. The Pacers won the season series 4 games to 1. They actually only finished two games behind Milwaukee in a tight Eastern Conference.
Tyrese Haliburton turned into a star this year averaging 20 ppg and almost 11 assists while snagging 1.2 steals per game. Myles Turner is an anchor down low who can block a ton of shots and grab a bunch of rebounds. While Pascal Siakam was a great mid-season trade acquisition who has won an NBA title in the past.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee is in a “win-now” championship window. They are seeking redemption this year after losing out as the 1 seed in the first-round last year 4 games to 1. They made a massive trade for Damian Lillard to begin the year, and it could pay them dividends now that Giannis could be injured for game one of the playoffs.
While no Giannis is not ideal because of his dominance on both ends of the floor, Dame is more than capable of shouldering the load. Milwaukee cannot afford to lose in the first round again this year. A Giannis injury contributed to last year’s downfall. Let’s collectively keep a close eye on this series- it could be the most dramatic of them all.
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