Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Reason Giannis missed his media availability after Game 4 revealed

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Robin Adams | Last updated 4/26/23

The Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo need to win three straight games against the Miami Heat in order to avoid one of the biggest embarrassments in NBA playoff history.

Giannis, of course, missed two complete games (and most of Game 1) with a lower back contusion. He suffered the injury on a dangerous charge call that had many fans and analysts on social media calling for a rule change. With the Bucks facing the possibility of going down 3-1, Giannis and the team decided that he would play in Game 4, even though he was not 100%.

The decision took its toll on Giannis, who despite playing injured, recorded a triple double. However, he missed his media availability after the game for a concerning reason.

Tuesday afternoon, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Giannis missed his media availability after the game because he needed IV fluids.

Reporting at @TheRally on Bucks going down 3-1 to Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo's return, which sources say included IV fluids postgame: pic.twitter.com/Ui82hjlh4B

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 25, 2023

“It’s really remarkable. 26 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. It’s a remarkable performance that he put forth, especially considering he missed eight days with this injury that he suffered on April 16. He’s clearly still dealing with this lower back issue. He had to play over 38 minutes last night [in Game 4]. These are all reasons why, I’m told, postgame Giannis needed IV fluids in Miami.

That was one of the reasons why he missed and was not able to do his media postgame last night in Miami after the loss. You have to give Giannis a lot of credit. He left it all out on the floor. Literally pushed himself to exhaustion last night in that loss to Miami. Playing through injury, playing through discomfort."

As mentioned, the Bucks are on the brink of elimination and would become just the sixth top seed to lose an opening round playoff series to an eight seed, and just the fourth since the first round became a seven-game series.

While the Bucks are in a tough spot, they won a game in this series without Giannis already. They can win. It is up to Coach Budenholzer and the rest of the players to protect Giannis because they need him in the long run. He should not have to sacrifice his back to win an opening round series.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: