Everything that could have gone the Boston Celtics way this season has. Everything that could have blown up in the Milwaukee Bucks' face this season has.
You want evidence of how fantastic this season has gone for Boston and the completely opposite for Milwaukee? Look no further than the latest report from ESPN's Shams Charania about Giannis and the Bucks.
Both Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have told league investigators different stories: Milwaukee informed the NBA that it doesn't believe Giannis is ready and actually wants to play; Giannis informed the NBA he wants to play but the team will not medically clear him, sources said. https://t.co/XAYU72V8Dx
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 4, 2026
Okay, so this makes both Giannis and Milwaukee look bad (why are these two still together?!), but how does this pertain to Boston? Well, because they could have been in a situation like this with Jayson Tatum.
Coming into this season, many thought Boston could have potentially been bad enough for them to tank. If that had been the case and Tatum had still been on track to return in March, it could have led to issues between the two sides.
Tatum is wired the same way the Greek Freak is: if he wants to play, he'll do everything in his power to make that happen. But if the Celtics had been tanking for a high pick, they may have done everything in their power to keep him out and/or limit his playing time, which could have fueled some tension between the two sides.
But because of how well they persevered without their star, his return was a more than welcome addition. And because the Bucks are out of options even with Antetokounmpo, they're in an even worse position than they've been in in years.
This proves the Celtics culture is very strong and unflappable
Until Antetokounmpo is on a different team, there will only continue to be questions about what exactly the end game is with him and the Bucks. To be perfectly honest, everyone knows where this is headed, but it's always been on Antetokounmpo's shoulders to end this, but he won't because of... bad PR?
Without going too much into it, it further shows how proud the Celtics should be of themselves that even when faced with the worst-case scenario, they still pushed through anyway. Look where it's gotten them now: not only are they still among the best teams in the NBA but there's a solid chance they could go on another title run.
The Bucks had their fun, but it's over and has been over for quite some time. Worse, when this Giannis situation resolves itself, they are in for a world of hurt that they can't avoid. It wasn't always peachy for Boston in Tatum era, but they licked their wounds, started again, and it should be smooth sailing for the next half decade.