Giannis Talks Damian Lillard, Refusing to Cry for NBA MVP Award and Bucks' Struggles

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing at an MVP level, but he's considered third in the race behind Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That doesn't mean he's going to start begging for more attention.

"I'm never going to make myself look like I'm crying for a trophy," Antetokounmpo said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. "One thing I'm never going to do is, I'm never going to fall into the bubble, (and) I believe this is a bubble. This is a matrix."

He continued the analogy to the "movie Matrix, with Neo" when discussing the MVP picture.

"This is what we are, you know? I come here, I put this jersey on, and all of a sudden, I'm this incredible figure, this myth, a Greek Freak. But when I take it off, and I go back home, I change diapers, you know what I'm saying? I refuse—I refuse—to fall into the bubble (where people tell him), 'Oh, you got the most votes in the All Star Game,' or 'Oh, you shot 60 percent from the field,' or 'Oh, after the All-Star break, you've been shooting 40 percent from 3 (-point range).'"

Antetokounmpo also talked about putting in as much work as possible because "I feel like in a moment this can be taken away from me" and didn't seem too worried about potentially being overlooked in the MVP race.

Still, he is being overlooked.

The eight-time All-Star is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting a career-best 61.5 percent from the field. When he won back-to-back MVP awards in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, he averaged a combined 28.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the field.

It's not as if Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander are undeserving, as they have both been excellent this season for championship contenders in the Nuggets and Thunder.

Jokić's championship run last season may even be helping him in the minds of voters, especially after he finished behind Joel Embiid in a much-discussed MVP race last season.

Yet Antetokounmpo hasn't even garnered much consideration for the first spot, with Amick noting he is trailing "everywhere you look, from the Las Vegas odds to the media coverage of the award that matters most."

He is surely focused more on the goal of a championship, though, which Milwaukee is still in position to chase as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference even if it has been an up-and-down season with the firing of head coach Adrian Griffin and the hiring of Doc Rivers.

The Bucks also just went 1-3 during a four-game road trip, but Antetokounmpo has his eyes on the bigger picture.

"We're not playing to make the playoffs," he said. "Obviously, when we go to the first round, we've got to compete there, then go to the second round, go to the third round. We've got to do it step by step. That's how it works. But at the end of the day, we have a goal in our head that we're trying to accomplish."

Accomplishing that goal would mean a first championship for Damian Lillard in his career.

Amick noted the guard has openly discussed some of the difficulties about the transition from the Portland Trail Blazers to Milwaukee, especially amid an off-court divorce.

Antetokounmpo opened up about his talented teammate:

"Yeah, and the off-the-court stuff is hard (for Lillard). But let's put that on the side. Just being on the court is hard for him. He's coming out of his comfort zone, playing with a guy like me on a team where guys can make plays. Maybe a lot of time in Portland, he didn't necessarily have guys who can make as many plays as we can make. You have Brook (Lopez). You have Bobby (Portis). You have Khris. You have Pat (Connaughton). You have Malik (Beasley). You have Jae (Crowder). Guys can make plays, you know? It's easier (in Milwaukee) to give it up and wait for something to happen. So that's something new for him. (He's) playing for something. We're not playing to make the playoffs, you know what I'm saying? It's good. We are happy. I'm grateful for every single day that I'm alive, but I'm competing. I'm competitive."

As long as the Lillard and Antetokounmpo combination thrives in the playoffs, the MVP discussion and on-court transition from the Trail Blazers will be overshadowed by a run at a championship.