The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in basketball. Their recent play hasn’t lived up to their lofty standards, but the fact still remains—their 28-11 record is the third-best in the NBA. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are playing better. And Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo knows that.
As Boston and Cleveland and even the New York Knicks have been chugging along this season, the Bucks have been struggling. Milwaukee’s rough start to the season was met with an uptick in play, but now, they’re down in the dumps again. And they haven’t been on par with the best teams in the league.
That’s not okay with Antetokounmpo.
Giannis Antetokounmpo knows the Bucks aren't on the same level as the Celtics, Cavs, and Knicks
In a recent post-game interview after the Bucks’ 140-106 loss to the Knicks, Antetokounmpo spoke about the Bucks’ need to get better in the grand scheme of things.
"We've gotta get our stuff together. It's as simple as that. We did not beat Boston. We did not beat the Cavs. We didn't beat the Knicks," Antetokounmpo said via Chris Herring of ESPN. "Those are the top three teams, and we've played horribly against them."
And Antetounmpo is right. The Bucks have played the Celtics three times, the Cavs three times, and now, the Knicks twice. They are 0-8 in those games.
Milwaukee hasn’t been able to hold its own against the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and if they want to win a championship, they will almost certainly have to play at least one of those teams in the playoffs. Probably at least two of them.
Antetokounmpo is having an MVP-caliber season. If the Bucks were further up in the Eastern Conference standings, he would probably be the front-runner. But they aren’t. And he isn’t.
And it speaks volumes that the Celtics were the very first team Antetokounmpo mentioned. Obviously, he talked about the Cavs and Knicks, too, and rightfully so. But instantly, Antetokounmpo compared the Bucks to the Celtics.
As much as Boston has struggled lately, they are still a major barometer for success in the East. The Bucks still know that they have to go through the Celtics (along with the other top teams).
There is a lot of season left. The Bucks have plenty of time to continue turning their season around. But the reality is that they are a step behind the top teams.
As the Celtics, Cavs, and Knicks push forward and fight for home-court advantage, the Bucks are playing catch-up basketball. Antetokounmpo knows it, Milwaukee knows it, and the entire NBA knows it. And that’s a scary place to be in.