Bucks All-Star Throws Cold Water on Milwaukee's Championship Hopes

A Milwaukee All-Star makes a good point about the team's expectations for the 2024-25 season.

Feb 15, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) look on during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are viewed as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. That has been the case for the last handful of years thanks to their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Antetokounmpo has established himself as one of the best players in the league and a future Hall of Famer. The 29-year-old was at the mountain top in 2021, but since then, he has struggled to get past the second round of the playoffs. 

The Bucks will go as far as Antetokounmpo can take them, and as of now, he is focused on getting past the first round. On media day, Antetokounmpo was asked about the team's title aspirations, and he kept it real, saying that they must focus on simply getting past the conference quarterfinals.

"Conference Finals? Finals? We gotta get out of the first round first. Let's start there."

According to Fox Sports, the Bucks have the eight best odds to win the NBA title, with +1400 odds. Three Eastern Conference teams are ahead of them are: the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics, who are the favorites with -225 odds. 

Since the Bucks' 2021 title, the Celtics eliminated them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2022, the Miami Heat eliminated them in the first round in 2023, and the Indiana Pacers eliminated them in the first round last year. 

Each of those years, they have been hampered by injuries to some of their best players. Bucks star forward Khris Middleton missed the entire second round of the 2022 series due to a sprained left knee. 

In 2023, Antetokounmpo suffered a back injury and was sidelined for the next two games. He returned for Game 4, but the Bucks lost the series in five games. And last season, Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard suffered injuries of their own before the Pacers eliminated them in six games. 

If it wasn't one thing, it was another for the Bucks, but they hope their fortunes change this season. In the offseason, the Bucks added Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright, and Taurean Prince to help bolster their roster. 

The others will need to step up in the process, but Milwaukee's only concern is being healthy when the games start to matter in April. That's the goal for everyone involved, especially for the Greek Freak. 

Antetokounmpo has earned all the individual accolades; however, his next step is to add more titles to his belt. 

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