Giannis Says He Will 'Ride' with Bucks' Damian Lillard 'Until the F--king End'

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo threw his full support behind teammate Damian Lillard as the team's late-game closer this week.

Speaking to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Giannis heaped praise on Dame, saying:

"I am his biggest fan. Good or bad, I ride with Dame until the f--king end. I ride with Dame. Like I've been saying this over and over again. This. Is. His. Team. Down the stretch, he's going to get the ball. There's nothing else that we will do. I don't know how else to put it. I don't know what else to say. But at the end of the day, he has to believe it too."

After getting ousted in the first round of the playoffs last season despite having an NBA-best 58 wins, the Bucks got aggressive during the offseason, acquiring Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers in hopes of forming the most dominant duo in the league between Dame and Giannis.

The Bucks have had some success, but their record of 35-21, which places them third in the Eastern Conference, has been a bit of a disappointment as well.

Given that the expectation in Milwaukee was to repeat as the No. 1 seed and then win a championship, first-year head coach Adrian Griffin was given a short leash, getting fired despite a 30-13 start.

After going 2-1 under interim head coach Joe Prunty, the Bucks brought in veteran head coach Doc Rivers, but Milwaukee is just 3-7 since his arrival.

Antetokounmpo has been his usual dominant self, as the two-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA Finals MVP is once again in the MVP conversation with averages of 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

The Bucks were perhaps looking for Lillard to average something close to 30 points per game this season after he put up 32.2 per contest last season with the Blazers, but that hasn't been the case.

In 51 games this season, the 33-year-old veteran is averaging a solid 24.6 points, 6.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 three-pointers made and 1.0 steal, however, efficiency has been an issue.

Along with averaging his fewest three-pointers made since the 2016-17 season, Lillard's scoring average is his lowest in a season in which he appeared in at least 30 games since 2014-15.

Also, when taking out the 2021-22 season, during which Dame appeared in only 29 games due to injury, he field goal percentage of 42.3 percent is his worst since 2015-16, and his three-point shooting percentage of 34.1 percent is the worst of his 12-year NBA career.

Lillard was still named an All-Star this season for the eighth time in his career, but it feels as though he hasn't come close to playing to the best of his ability in his new surroundings.

The Bucks are just three years removed from winning a championship, and they still have some key holdovers from that team in Giannis, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, along with key additions like Lillard and Malik Beasley.

It will be tough for the Bucks or any other team to get past the 43-12 Boston Celtics, who have built a super-team of sorts led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis, Derrick White and former Buck Jrue Holiday, but the Bucks have the talent to do it when they are on their game.

If Lillard can find the killer instinct and clutch scoring ability that he has displayed throughout his career, the Bucks will be as dangerous as any team in the league, including Boston.

The Bucks still have 26 regular-season games remaining, and if they are able to build momentum entering the playoffs, a second championship in four years is not out of the question.