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Giannis Antetokounmpo calls out the Milwaukee Bucks to be more organized after semis loss to the Indiana Pacers

The Greek Freak wants the Bucks to play as a team.

Matthew Dugandzic

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Failure to play as a team led to their elimination from the NBA In-Season Tournament, the Milwaukee Bucks main man Giannis Antetokounmpo lamented.

Giannis said they were simply disorganized in their 119-128 semifinal loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"We have to be more organized. We have to know what we are trying to get down the stretch. At the end of the day, like down the stretch, it's about effort and attitude. You have to go out there and take it. I feel like the Indiana team, that's what they did," said Antetokounmpo.

Giannis finished with 37 points, ten rebounds, and two blocks, but those numbers proved insufficient to lead the Bucks to the championship round.

Nothing is easy in the NBA

The two-time MVP said Milwaukee didn't match Indiana's effort on both ends of the floor.

"They crashed the board, they got offensive rebounds. They got to their spots, they played great defense, got deflections," said Giannis.

No team will hand a victory to the opposing team on a silver platter, Giannis reminded his teammates.

"At the end of the day, nothing's given to you in life. Nothing's given to you in an NBA game. We cannot just expect that we run a play; we're going to score a bucket. You have to execute; you got to cut hard, screen harder, get open, drive the ball, make something happen," he said.

In the loss, the Bucks were out-rebounded, 46-51. They also gave up 15 offensive rebounds that led to 23 second-chance points.

"They played harder than us," Giannis exclaimed.

Milwaukee had a three-point lead to start the fourth quarter, but Indiana ended the contest with a 21-13 run to steal the win.

Don't rely on talent alone

The Bucks tasted the lead last time at 100-99 when Brook Lopez scored a layup at the 8:53 mark. Milwaukee would only score 19 points from that point on while allowing the Pacers to rack up 29 points.

Milwaukee exploded for 43 points in the third quarter but scored just 25 in the final period.

"We have to be better down the stretch. We got to know what we're trying to accomplish. There were stretches where we weren't on the same page, and it cost us," Giannis said.

The Greek Freak also reminded the Bucks that talent alone won't win games for them.

"The talent that we have is incredible, but we have to be more organized. I felt like sometimes we were not organized at all," he said.

Adrian Griffin says failed In-Season Tournament campaign will do wonders for the Bucks

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.