The Giannis Antetokounmpo playoff curse is alive and well, which means he’ll have to do double the work if the Milwaukee Bucks hope to avoid another early playoff exit. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Damian Lillard will miss the start of the NBA playoffs with a blood clot.
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard (blood clot) will miss the start of the NBA playoffs, sources tell ESPN. Bucks play Game 1 of the first round against the Pacers on Saturday. Lillard has been sidelined since March 18, and doctors continue to monitor progress for clearance. pic.twitter.com/W8CqbSt3G1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 15, 2025
This means Giannis will have to face off against the Indiana Pacers in the first round without his running mate, which is becoming more of a trend than an anomaly at this point. Before Lillard, it was Khris Middleton who had injury issues that kept him off the court.
Now it’s Lillard and the Bucks are staring at possibly losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third straight season. Last year, it was the Indiana Pacers that upset the Bucks, winning the series in six games.
The Pacers are eager to knock off the Bucks again. Only this time, it would feel like less of an upset and more routine thanks to the Bucks struggling in the playoffs since winning a championship in 2021.
Another early playoff exit, would warrant Giannis Antetokounmpo jumping ship
It’s fair to ask if Giannis could want out of Milwaukee if they fall in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third straight season and twice to the Indiana Pacers. Things haven’t been great for Milwaukee since winning the championship in 2021.
With Lillard’s availability in question after the first two games, presumably, if Giannis can’t get his first series win in two seasons, he would have every reason to leave.
The star player isn't fully excused from responsibility, though. After all, it was his growing frustration with Adrian Griffin’s scheme that led to him getting fired 43 games into the season in which the Bucks were atop the Eastern conference standings.
Everything went downhill from there. Doc Rivers was named the replacement, the Bucks hobbled to the fourth best record in the conference, was bounced out of the playoffs early and things became grim.
They still are. Now that the Bucks are once again ailing, going into the postseason, the question is glaring about how long Giannis will continue to put up with this. In a league where superstars yearn to play with each other, Giannis could be on the outs in Milwaukee if they can’t get healthy and win a playoff series.
It won’t be easy taking out a team that has all the confidence in pulling off a second-straight postseason upset.