98-120! Although Lillard scored 28 points on his comeback, he still couldn't change the fate of the team's heavy defeat. With a 2-4 series run and becoming the first team to be knocked down this season, the Bucks' final result this season clearly did not meet expectations, and not surprisingly, they were greeted with boos and doubts.
However, this is not the worst thing, the moment they sent Holiday away and gambled on Lillard, it meant that they were betting on everything, and the stretched trade chips and the dark cloud of salary pressure were like two thick iron chains, mercilessly shackling the hands and feet of management.
The roof leak happened to be rainy, and the ship was broken and hit by the head wind. What's worse than the first-round elimination and salary pressure is that after a whole season, the two superstars, Antetokounmpo and Lillard, still haven't had the desired chemistry, Antetokounmpo can't provide the high-quality pick-and-roll that Lillard wants, and he doesn't seem to know what to do with the pocket passes that Lillard stuffs when he faces the bag.
Lillard's arrival didn't make his game easier, it made things more complicated. On countless game nights, he may have wondered why he had to engage in an inexplicable set of pick-and-rolls that left him at a loss when he got the ball at the free-throw line, when he could go straight to the basket with the ball with the ball and easily put it down with that damn layup.
"As long as we play the right way every day and make sacrifices for a common goal, then I'm willing to stay with the Bucks forever. But if I find out that someone doesn't work as hard as I do, someone who doesn't want to win, that's hard to say. ”
This is the statement of Brother Alphabet when he was a guest on a podcast last summer, obviously, as long as Brother Alphabet wants, the Bucks will only belong to his team, but the problem is that what he wants is a Bucks team with championship strength and a chance to win.
And now this Bucks team, Lopez is old, Middleton is in a declining state, and the backcourt composed of Lillard and Beasley is full of holes on the defensive end...... Judging from the series between them and the Pacers, there is really no chance of competing for the championship.
If the Bucks can't win, then Brother Alphabet's persistence is no longer taken for granted.
After the Bucks were eliminated by the Pacers, NBA reporter Marc Stein reported that several teams around the league are closely monitoring Antetokounmpo's reaction to his first-round exit, and as soon as he requests a trade, those teams will go on a rampage and do everything they can to recruit the two-time regular-season MVP.
With four championships in the last 10 years, the Golden State Warriors are undoubtedly the most successful team in the league, and they have the genes and tradition to win, making them one of the ideal homes for Antetokounmpo. Curry is averaging 26.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game this season, shooting 41.8% from three-point range and making four three-pointers per game.
Curry has proven himself to be one of the best offensive guards in the league, and he can grab his tail at the top of his game and work together to challenge for another championship. Lacob is a generous owner who has paid nearly $400 million in bills this season and the team has failed to make the playoffs. If the team can get his brother, I believe he will still be generous and pay a huge luxury tax for it.
The Los Angeles Lakers have the most championship team in league history, but in the last two seasons, they have fallen to the feet of the Denver Nuggets in a row. Obviously, the James + Davis duo alone is no longer able to cope with the Plateau Army, and they urgently need to bring in another superstar.
At some point, Jeanie Bass was considered a bit of a scramble, but that also depends on the situation, and if the team were able to bring in Antetokounmpo, I believe she would definitely be desperate. James is 39 years old, and he has a player option in his hand this summer, he can jump out of his contract and join other teams, or he can sign a 2-3 year contract extension, but in any case, the 30-year-old is more worth looking forward to than James at this stage!
The Miami Heat are another team that could bring in Antetokounmpo. The traditional Eastern Conference giants have reached the Finals twice in the past five years, but are always so far away from the championship trophy, and if they can bring in Antetokounmpo, the combination of him and Butler will help the team become the favorites for the championship.
Compared with the Warriors and Lakers, the Heat have enough high-quality chips in their hands, and they can send All-Star interior players like Bam Adebayo, as well as young potential stocks like Harkes and Jovic, plus one or two first-round picks, and definitely have a chance to impress the Bucks management.
All in all, the playoffs are not over yet, but in any case, this summer in Milwaukee is not destined to be peaceful, and whether Brother Alphabet goes or stays will also give an answer in the summer. If he leaves, it will inevitably cause a "bloody storm" in the free market, and if he stays, the Bucks must also find a way to win, because once he continues to lose, it is almost inevitable that the super forward will request a trade!