During the NBA playoffs, every team is put under scrutiny as players take part in the most high-stakes games of their careers. When teams are eliminated, questions are inevitable, especially in cases of upsets such as the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks’ first-round loss to the No. 8 Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. After their loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo offered a reflective and contentious answer when asked if he believed the Bucks’ season was a failure.
While the two-minute response is worth listening to, the thought is that the two-time MVP does not view the season as a failure because every progression, regardless of whether it was positive or negative, steps to growth.
Over the past few days, Several experts have been engaged in a thorough analysis of Antetokounmpo’s comments, with some expressing agreement while others strongly disagree. Ahead of Game 6 against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared his reaction to the video, supporting Antetokounmpo for his perceptive comments.
“My reaction was just how lucky we are to have Giannis Antetokounmpo in the league and being one of the marquee stars in the league, not only for his talent, but his humanity and his perspective. Giannis Antetokounmpo is so right. Are there really 29 failures every year in the league? One team , It just can’t be a zero sum game. The other thing is like these guys — I watch our guys every day and I know this goes on around the league but these guys work so hard and they put so much into it.
And so, when you hear terms like embarrassment or shame, like, why should anybody on Milwaukee be embarrassed or ashamed that they lost a playoff series? They shouldn’t. Giannis Antetokounmpo is right. Nobody should be embarrassed. As long as they put in the work and put in the effort, which you know they did, this is sports of the highest level.
Miami’s a hell of a team. Jimmy Butler‘s one of the great players in the league. Erik Spoelstra’s one of great coaches in the league. You can say all that stuff upset and one versus eight and all these are the greatest players on Earth. They’re competing against each other. And somebody’s gonna win, somebody’s gonna lose.
And I just think we’re so lucky to have a guy like Giannis Antetokounmpo leading our league and talking some sense into people and offering perspective.
Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve KerrWhen you read stuff like that, it’s just sort of mind boggling, but it is the world we live in and we all know what we’re signing up for. But it’s great when you have representatives like Giannis Antetokounmpo to try to talk sense into everybody.”
Getting insights from coaches is always fascinating, particularly from those who were former players like Steve Kerr. It is evident that he agrees with Antetokounmpo’s views, and he believes that with the immense talent in the league, losing should not be a cause for frustration, as long as the team put in the required effort.
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