The Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals in 2021, but there was one bright spot: Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to participate. After sustaining a knee injury in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, Antetokounmpo sat on the bench as Milwaukee won the series and advanced to the NBA Finals.
Antetokounmpo was upgraded from doubtful to questionable earlier in the day on Tuesday and given the all-clear after going through his pregame warmup. He was one of the team’s bright spots in the 118-105 loss against the Phoenix Suns, averaging 20 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block.
Antetokounmpo gave a glimpse into the last week or so of his life after the game, saying that when he originally got hurt, his fear was that he’d be on the bench for the remainder of the postseason.
“I haven’t watched the clip, but when the play happened I thought, ‘I’m going to be out for a year,’” Antetokounmpo said. “So, I’m just happy that, two games later, I’m back.”
As for how he felt after 35 minutes against a pesky Suns side, Antetokounmpo gave as positive of an update as he could, saying, “I felt good, I don’t feel pain. I can run, I can jump, I can set screens, I can rebound the ball, I can do stuff. So, I’m good, I’m happy, I’m happy that I’m out there.”
Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, is running out of time. While Game 2 of the Finals is on Thursday evening, only time will tell how he feels when he wakes up the next day after playing a whole basketball game. Milwaukee was completely overwhelmed in Game 1, and a return to the series will almost probably necessitate Antetokounmpo being the former NBA MVP that he is. Now the question is whether his knee will allow him to get there.
