Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has suffered a season ending damage.
In simply his third sport since he returned from his blood clot diagonis, the Milwaukee Bucks celebrity suffered from yet one more brutal setback.
Combating for the Bucks to maintain their NBA Playoff hopes alive in Recreation 4, Damian Lillard out of the blue stumbled to the bottom with out contact as he tapped the ball to Gary Trent Jr.
Lillard grabbed his left leg till the Indiana Pacers secured the subsequent possession. He was assisted by the group to the locker room wherein the Bucks in the end introduced that he wouldn’t return to the sport throughout the first quarter.
Lillard’s damage, which closely impacted the Bucks’ eventual 129-103 loss, is feared to be an Achilles tendon tear that would require months of full restoration.
Out of what occurred to Lillard, the first focus and a spotlight of everybody immediately shifted to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo maintained his optimism when Lillard notably went out indefinitely to recuperate from his blood clots this previous month. However this current damage by his Bucks co-star undoubtedly wants a major quantity of processing for the Greek sensation.
In his postgame presser, Antetokounmpo provided nothing however comforting and empowering phrases for Lillard.
“Clearly, seeing anyone going by means of one thing like that’s powerful. You don’t need anyone to get damage and also you don’t know the way critical the damage is,” he mentioned in his postgame presser.
“You simply want for the most effective case state of affairs, however once more, it doesn’t matter if he’s your teammate, your opponent, you don’t need to see anyone get damage as a result of I feel we put a lot effort and time into our jobs and attempt to be wholesome and attempt to assist our group.
“You don’t need to go down since you don’t know the way it’s going to have an effect on your profession transferring ahead, however on the identical time, now I’m speaking about my teammate Dame. I’ve seen the final two years that we’ve been teammates, the issues that he’s been by means of on the courtroom and off the courtroom.
“As I mentioned beforehand, I’ve a lot respect for him. Lots of people don’t see what Dame needed to cope with, however I’ve been round him each single day and it’s onerous.
“It’s onerous being in his place, however he’s one of many hardest, mentally hardest guys I’ve ever been round and that’s why he’s who he’s and I feel he’s going to beat each impediment that’s going to be in entrance of him.
“Everyone’s going to be there for him. It doesn’t matter what the impediment is for him, he’s going to beat and we’re going to assist him overcome.”
Since successful all of it in 2020-21 for the franchise’s second championship, the Bucks have endured tons of brutal accidents over the next 4 seasons.
They did not defend their title the next season after Khris Middleton suffered a sprained knee within the 2022 playoffs.
Their plans to run it again in 2022-23 was ruined when Antetokounmpo damage his again, in the end resulting in a historic collapse for the Bucks within the first spherical towards Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seeded Miami Warmth.
Final 2024, the calf-stricken Antetokounmpo was not accessible for the Bucks within the playoffs because the Pacers went on to beat them in six video games of their opening spherical assembly. And this time round, with Lillard presumed to be unavailable for the remainder of the yr, the Bucks are doubtless heading out as soon as once more.
However proper now, regardless of going through a difficult 3-1 sequence lead imposed by the Pacers with Recreation 5 set in Indiana on April 29, Antetokounmpo’s will stays glowing to navigate the Bucks and proceed their title hunt even with out Lillard.
“I don’t imagine in unhealthy luck, man,” Giannis mentioned if he thinks the Bucks endured unhealthy luck from well being standpoint since their 2021 title win. “I’m too blessed to imagine in unhealthy luck.
“I feel every part occurs for a cause. And, you realize, clearly I want [Lillard] the most effective. We love him. We’re going to help him. We simply received to maintain on transferring ahead, man. Subsequent man, subsequent man up.
“Someone received to step up, play good basketball, and attempt to win the sport.”
