PHOENIX – Giannis Antetokounmpo was listed as doubtful for Game 1 against the Suns, hours after appearing briefly on the court Monday afternoon at Phoenix Suns Arena as the Milwaukee Bucks started to warm up in their first practice for the NBA Finals, during a portion open to the media.
The two-time league Most Valuable Player injured his left knee in Atlanta on June 29 and missed the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hawks.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer would not commit to much on Monday afternoon.
“We’ll continue to update it,” Budenholzer said. “He’s had a good day. He’s making good progress. But I don’t have expectations either way.”
The head coach acknowledged Antetokounmpo would get on the court and walk through some parts of the game plan but wouldn’t elaborate beyond that.
“I’m just going to leave it,” Budenholzer said. “He did court work. So he’s making progress and we’re pleased that he’s making progress.”
Giannis was listed as doubtful by the team later Monday.
As for the Suns, they were able to get a look at how this version of the Bucks played without Antetokounmpo.
During the regular season, the Bucks had starting guard Donte DiVincenzo for most of the games Antetokounmpo missed with a March knee injury and P.J. Tucker missed many of them with an injury of his own.
Bobby Portis drew the starts against Atlanta, though Budenholzer started Pat Connaughton at times with Antetokounmpo out in the regular season.
“The pressure they put on the paint has been pretty consistent, even with Giannis (out), but you see a different way of doing it now with Jrue (Holiday) attacking and (Brook) Lopez diving,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “That’s been something that we have to respect. You have to respect them anyway with Giannis getting into the paint, in transition, in isolation, when he dives in the pick-and-roll, especially with (Khris) Middleton. So without Giannis, there seems to be a different way of attacking the paint.
“And then all of their guys that crash the boards. When Giannis is down there with Lopez, they’re so big there’s really no room, it seems like, for other guys. Now you got Connaughton going. You got P.J. going a ton. Portis is down there. Everybody they bring in the game pretty much is going to get an offensive rebound.
“So they haven’t stopped playing the way they want to play. The pressure on the paint has been pretty consistent in the playoffs.”
The Bucks and Suns tip off in Game 1 on Tuesday night. Before Games 4 and 5 in Atlanta the team ruled Antetokounmpo out in the early afternoon.
Even Middleton would’ve venture to say if his friend and long-time teammate would be able to give it a go, but he has tried to support Antetokounmpo by telling him, “To do what’s best for himself and his family. Don’t rush back in and put yourself at a greater risk for a greater injury. But he’s a guy, like you know, he puts in so much time and effort into his body to be the best version of himself also.”
