For the second year in a row, the Milwaukee Bucks once again said goodbye to the fight for the ring early. Once again, the Miami Heat stood in the way of the 2021 champions and confirmed their superiority in the series (1-4) by winning the Fiserv Forum 126-128. Erik Spoelstra's men gave the bell in the NBA, as the Wisconsin franchise had been the best in the Eastern conference and with the best record in the league (35 wins and 17 losses in the regular season).
The 38 points of its star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, were insufficient to sustain a Bucks surrendered to an immense Jimmy Butler (42 points last night, 56 in the fourth game) and his henchmen. The Greek could not hide his disappointment after the game, although he did not hide for that. He came out to face the media and did not shy away from any question, not even the most uncomfortable ones, such as when a journalist asked him if he considered that the season had been "a failure."
At that moment Antetokounmpo became huge. He reflected for two minutes on success and failure in sports. Visibly upset, he at the same time snapped at the journalist who had asked the question... also for the second year in a row.
"(sigh) Oh my gosh... You asked me the same question last year. Do you get a promotion every year at your job? No, right? So every year you work is a failure? Yes or No? No, every year you work to achieve something, to achieve a goal: a promotion, take care of your family...", he argued.
Calmer, he gave the greatest basketball player as an example: Michael Jordan. "It's not a failure: it's steps to success. Michael Jordan played for 15 years and won six championships. The other nine were failures? Is that what you're telling me? It's the wrong question. There is no failure in sport There are good days and bad days, sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. That's what sport is about: you don't always win."
Antetokounmpo expressed his wish that the Bucks come back stronger and "play better" for next season to get another ring, but insisted that these are not failures but "steps to success."
Finally, he apologized to the journalist for the tone used. "Sorry, I didn't want it to be personal with you. You asked me the same thing last year and last year I wasn't in the right mindset to answer you," he concluded before moving on to the next question. The speech went viral on the networks in a matter of minutes, applauded by the vast majority.
Only on six previous occasions had an eighth-ranked conference player managed to eliminate the top seed. The last time was in 2012, when the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Chicago Bulls. "Everyone is in shock in the locker room, obviously," Antetokounmpo added about an opponent who "kicked their asses" and played with "a lot of energy and passion."
