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As if matters couldn't get worse for the Milwaukee Bucks with their backs up against the wall against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Playoffs, Damian Lillard has suffered what appears to be a significant left Achilles injury. Lillard, who worked hard to get back on the court after missing a month due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, has left Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks devastated with their playoff hopes slipping away.
The Bucks fell 129-103 on their home floor in Game 4 of this first-round series against the Pacers. Now down 3-1 and without Lillard, all hope seems lost in Milwaukee. While they already know what Lillard's injury is, further imaging conducted will confirm the Bucks' worst nightmare on Monday.
This is a heartbreaking injury for the 34-year-old guard, especially considering all he's battled through injury-wise to make himself available for the playoffs this year. Giannis knows more than anyone the struggle of dealing with injuries in the playoffs, yet he made sure to highlight who Lillard is as a person before discussing him as a player in his postgame comments on Sunday night after the loss.
“Obviously, seeing anybody going through something like that is tough,” Giannis said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “You just wish for the best case scenario, but again, it doesn't matter if he's your teammate, your opponent; you don't want to see somebody get hurt because I think we put so much time and effort into our jobs and try to be healthy and try to help our team.
“You don't want to go down because you don't know how it's going to affect your career moving forward, but at the same time, now I'm talking about my teammate Dame. I've seen the last two years that we've been teammates, the things that he's been through on the court and off the court. As I said previously, I have so much respect for him.
“A lot of people don't see what Dame had to deal with, but I've been around him every single day and it's hard.”
What is impacting Giannis and the Bucks the most about this injury is that it happened to Lillard, a player everyone in the organization loves as a person.
Aside from impacting their chances to contend in the playoffs, there is a human aspect that comes into play for Antetokounmpo and his team, which is why this injury news hits them so hard.
While it won't be easy, Giannis acknowledged that Dame is a tough person and that he can overcome this challenge life has thrown at him.
“It's hard being in his position, but he's one of the toughest, mentally toughest guys I've ever been around and that's why he is who he is and I think he's going to overcome every obstacle that's going to be in front of him,” Antetokounmpo continued. “Everybody's going to be there for him. No matter what the obstacle is for him, he's going to overcome and we're going to help him overcome.”
After losing on Sunday to the Pacers, the Bucks are now on the verge of elimination in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Along with questions about Lillard's long-term future, plenty of rumors are now engulfing Antetokounmpo about his future in Milwaukee. With Lillard out, the Bucks' season is coming to an end.
