170 Days After Epic “Failure” Rant, Giannis Antetokounmpo Reflects on Losing to Jimmy Butler and Co: “Bad Taste in Your Mouth”

It’s time for a revival for the Bucks. After a disappointing game last season at the Playoffs, Giannis Antetokounmpo reflects on his and the team’s learnings and making arduous changes towards winning the championship this time. “But at the end of the day,” he declares, “in life, sometimes that happens. And at the end of the day, what are you going to do about it?”

These remarks came during a recent interview with the Andscape and ESPN where Giannis accepted his failures. On being asked to reflect on the loss in the first round of the playoffs last season, Giannis didn’t hold back from talking about the aftermath of it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Reflects

“Obviously,” Giannis told his interviewer, “it was a hard time for us having a good regular season and going the first round and ending our season like that.”

Much of this reflection stemmed from the Bucks’ horrific loss to the 8th seeded Miami Heat last season, four games to one, the sixth time in NBA history that it has happened. Giannis getting injured in Game 1 and not playing for the next two games couldn’t be compensated by his teammates. Taking this chance, Jimmy Butler along with his teammates, eliminated the Bucks in 5 games.

The Bucks star acknowledged the difficult time that came with it but at the same time the willingness to learn from it. “It’s good to have summers like that, to have kind of like a bad taste in your mouth,” he said. “It makes the team even more locked in.”

Read More: Taking Inspiration From Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, Giannis Antetokounmpo Makes Honest Confession About Bucks’ Future: “Winning Comes First”

Giannis also talked about the team parting ways with coach Mike Budenholzer. He had been with the franchise for 5 years. Giannis while acknowledging the tough decision, seems to be optimistic about it.

A Failure Season or a Step Towards Success?

The Greek Freak now also has the addition of a seven-time All-Star, Damian Lillard to his team. On being asked about the possibility of the duo winning the NBA title, Antetokounmpo’s thoughts were clear yet hopeful.

“There’s going to be a lot of hype around us, but we haven’t done anything,” Giannis said. “We haven’t even played a game yet…So, we can talk about it all day, but at the end of the day, our actions speak louder than words. But we have an opportunity to do something great, and that’s exciting for me.”

Watch This Story: “Love Golf so Much, I’d Go Play Tiger (Woods)”: Going a Little Overboard, 25YO Austin Reaves Challenges Stephen Curry & 47YO Golf Legend

With learning from the failures to being determined towards winning the championship, the future seems bright for the Bucks.