If it weren't the playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo probably wouldn't be playing. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar has been dealing with a nagging back injury which forced him to miss Games 2 and 3 of their NBA Playoffs first-round series against the Miami Heat. He played through the pain in Game 5, but unfortunately for the Bucks, the former back-to-back MVP's heroics weren't enough to prevent the Heat from scoring a crucial win.
After the loss, Antetokounmpo was nowhere to be found during the media availability session. As it turns out, the Bucks talisman had a very valid and disturbing reason as to why he had to skip the post-game pressers:
“He missed eight days with this injury he suffered on April 16th. He's clearly still dealing with this lower back issue, and he had to play over 38 minutes last night, and those are all reasons why I'm told post-game Giannis needed IV fluids in Miami,” Shams said. “That was one of the reasons why he missed and why he was not able to do his media post-game in Miami last night after the loss.”
Reporting at @TheRally on Bucks going down 3-1 to Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo's return, which sources say included IV fluids postgame: pic.twitter.com/Ui82hjlh4B
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 25, 2023
As Shams said, Giannis literally pushed himself to exhaustion in Game 4 to the point that he had to get IV fluids after the game. It's amazing to think how tough this man is both physically and mentally. Despite dealing with a bad back, Antetokounmpo still put up 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, 13 assists, a steal, and two blocks in 38 minutes of action.
Unfortunately, the Bucks will need him to be at his best in Game 5 regardless of his injury status. This is a do-or-die contest for Milwaukee, who is now just one loss away from their season coming to a bitter end.
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