After Damian Lillard returned to the hardwood (Game 2) after dealing with a blood clot, it seemed like a miracle. He had missed 14 regular-season games and Game 1 of the Playoff series, but his finally reuniting with Giannis Antetokounmpo gave Doc Rivers hope; Hope that it was possible to bounce back at this point in time. But come Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers, and tragedy struck again!

A preliminary diagnosis on Monday confirmed that Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter. The team’s fear came true after he crumpled to the floor and then limped his way out. Lillard was trying to track down an offensive rebound, and while he successfully got his team an extra possession, it came at a big cost. This kind of injury takes about 8-12 months of recovery time, which means that Lillard will most likely miss the initial parts of the next season. And so, head coach Doc Rivers will need to handle this tricky situation.

In the post-game press conference, he said, “I knew it right away. Yeah. I felt bad for him. The guy tried to come back for his team, and I just felt bad for him.” But he also needs to focus his attention on the bigger picture, right? That’s what the 63-year-old did. The team needs to deal with injuries in a better way, and so, Rivers addressed his plan to deal with the injuries.

“It’s tough. I don’t know how you deal with it. You just deal with it,” Doc Rivers confessed. “Your two best players, one has been out each year. Last year, both were out for the most part.” Giannis Antetokounmpo’s late-season calf injury kept him sidelined for the Bucks’ crucial first-round battle against the Pacers. Meanwhile, Damian Lillard’s postseason struggles only deepened Milwaukee’s wounds.

Doc Rivers continued, “This year Giannis is playing great. Now Dame was back, but was never right, and then he got hurt. I’ll make sense of it this summer. Nothing you can do about it except try to rally your team, get them back together, and try to win one game to get it back to Milwaukee.” Rivers reflected on a season of cruel setbacks, praising Giannis’ brilliance while acknowledging Dame‘s lingering struggles before his latest injury. Though frustration lingers, Rivers knows the answers will come in time. For now, he clings to hope, determined to rally his battered team for one more fight in Milwaukee.

But all in all, it is a disastrous situation for the team. For the first time since 2017, the Milwaukee Bucks did not have a strong regular-season record to receive a first-round playoff series and now face the risk of being excluded in the first round for the third straight postseason. Interestingly, their injuries have been a common factor in every loss. So now, as they hit the road, they need to map their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. In the history of the NBA, only 13 teams have managed to do so.

For the Bucks locker room, Lillard’s injury right after his comeback feels like a major blow to their morale. Before this, he also faced injuries in the 2021-22 season and missed as many as 47 games due to his abdominal strain. However, the show must go on. And Giannis Antetokounmpo knows it better than anyone else how important the next two games are going to be. So, he sent clear messages to his disheartened teammates.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s message to the Bucks locker room

For Giannis Antetokounmpo, the math is simple: move on and play harder. “I think everybody in the locker room knows what the deal is. Got to go to Indiana, play some good basketball,” he told the media after losing 103-129 to the Pacers on Sunday. “Obviously, we don’t have Dame, but the next guy has to step up. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. Move the ball, play together, try to win the game, and come back.” 

Counting the games they’ve played with Dame, the ‘Greek Freak’ noted, “We played like 10 games at the end of the season without Dame. I think Ryan and Scoot and the guys that played, I think they did a great job just stepping up and filling that void. They’re great basketball players.” He proudly claimed that his teammates know how to play the game and understand what the team is trying to accomplish.

“They know how to play the game, they know what we’re trying to accomplish; We’ve won games together. At the end of the day, somebody has to step up and fill that void of Dame. Obviously, it’s hard. Dame is one of the best players in the league, an active Hall of Famer, but we know the deal. We’ve got to go in there and play good basketball, win the game,” Giannis concluded.

The 30-year-old has been averaging 30.4 ppg, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 60.1 FG%. But now it’s time for everyone to step up.

It’s a now-or-never situation for Doc Rivers’s men. On one hand, Damian Lillard’s 2024-25 NBA season has most likely come to an end. And on the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo is holding on to the hopes that are left. More like chasing the last light at the end of the tunnel. Going into Game 5, the Bucks need to buckle up before they can say “Round 2” in this postseason.