SUMMARY
- Damian Lillard claimed his first season with the Bucks was a roller coaster ride.
- The Bucks have been eliminated form the playoffs as the Pacers move ahead into round two.
Despite having all the talent on his side, Damian Lillard had to close up shop in Game 6 versus the Indiana Pacers. It was unfortunate how the Milwaukee Bucks had to take a fall even though they were the stronger team on paper. Injuries certainly play a huge role in a team’s success through the regular season and playoffs. And as Lillard stated, staying healthy is key to a successful playoff run.
The game ended at 98-120 in favor of the Pacers, who will now move into the second round to play against the New York Knicks. It was quite evident that the Pacers’ bench unit helped them secure the victory. They had two bench players who scored at least 20 points while the Bucks had none. Lillard finished with 28 points while playing through an Achilles injury.
Damian Lillard had to stay strong while the Bucks struggled
The 8x NBA All-Star had a tough off-season last summer and it involved a late trade to Milwaukee, which only took place weeks before preseason commenced. Though the Bucks were expected to dominate, it was a rough ride. Lillard addressed his first season during the press conference saying, “I think it was a roller coaster of a year. But I think for me personally it was a year of growth more than anything.”
Some of the changes he claimed he needed to adapt to were living away from his family and children, playing with different teammates and a new organization, a new superstar teammate, and an A-tier player like Khris Middleton. “It was a lot for me to fight through, you know. But I take a lot of pride in standing tall. When things do go as planned or go how I would like them to go, I always wanna look back and tell myself as a man, when I didn’t play well… whether I was going through some things whether others knew about it or not, I stood tall in it. I never made it an excuse.”
It is quite astonishing how the Bucks managed to secure the third seed in the Eastern Conference despite the intense changes and injuries that came along towards the end of the season. Lillard also averaged a consistent 24.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7 assists per game along with one steal.
The 8x All-Star is excited to play under Doc Rivers next season
Besides the issues, the team struggled to cope with and the changes, adding Doc Rivers to the equation was probably the hardest part of the season. After achieving a 30-13 record with Adrian Griffin, the Bucks recorded a 17-19 season with Rivers. As expected, the world had a ton of complaints about Rivers but Damian Lillard seems motivated to play under the veteran coach.
“I think his experience and his voice, I think he just has a way of reaching a team. He’s a leader of men, he’s not afraid to say what the truth is regardless of who might be offended by it or who the offender of what he’s speaking on is,” said Lillard. The point guard also added that Rivers knows how to handle a team that has the playoff, championship, and MVP experience.
“I’m gonna do whatever I can for this franchise. I think we can win [and] I’m going to do everything I can to create that because it means more to me than you think.”
Doc Rivers on his future with the Bucks pic.twitter.com/HyTaSbp8cV
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 3, 2024
He added, “I’m excited to know who I’m going to be playing for, knowing him as a person. Being with him for half a season, now I know what he expects, what his style is, what he’s going to expect of me. I think it was a great couple of months playing for him.” Unfortunately, the Bucks no longer pose a threat to the East. However, they could turn things around this off-season and come back stronger.