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With the Milwaukee Bucks down 0-2 to the Indiana Pacers, some might've hit the panic button. For Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, he sees it as more than just being panicked.
He dropped a bar on where the Bucks are at, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter).
“It’s not something that you have to panic, but also it’s not something that you have to be loose,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s life or death. It’s life or death. That’s how it is for me.”
Antetokounmpo is one of the most serious players in the NBA. Although he has a jovial personality, he is a fiery competitor and will do whatever it takes to win.
There have been moments of him slamming things and getting in his teammates' ears about picking up the intensity. After a Game 1 blowout, Game 2 was closer, but the Bucks still didn't get the job done.
Despite Antetokounmpo dropping 34 points and 18 rebounds, it wasn't enough. The Pacers had all five starters score in double figures, highlighted by Tyrese Haliburton's double-double.
Giannis Antetokounmpo sees the Bucks series as ‘life or death'
While the exaggeration might be a bit over the top, this is how the Greek superstar plays. Every game he takes seriously. There are no days off for him, especially in the playoffs.
Even though Damian Lillard returned for the Bucks in Game 2, it didn't seem to matter.
Luckily for Antetokounmpo, though, his squad will play in front of their home crowd for the next two games. That could be a good time to regroup and have some more motivation for the remainder of the series.
Motivation isn't lacking for the All-Star. However, his future could be in question if Milwaukee loses in the first round again. After all, Chris Haynes said that Antetokounmpo's trade market could heat up if the Bucks don't advance. While that's a hypothetical, it's a very important one.
At the end of the day, the Bucks will need to secure some wins and treat every game as a “life or death” situation moving forward against a youthful Indiana team.
