Giannis Antetokounmpo says Bucks' early exit 'not a failure' - ESPN

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair before answering the question at his news conference Wednesday night following the Milwaukee Bucks' stunning 128-126 overtime loss to the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

The Bucks, who owned the NBA's best record during the regular season with 58 wins, became the fourth No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in a best-of-seven series in NBA history, but Antetokounmpo took issue with a question about whether Milwaukee's season was a failure.

«It's not a failure; it's steps to success,» Antetokounmpo said. «There's always steps to it. Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years was a failure? That's what you're telling me?

»It's a wrong question; there's no failure in sports. There's good days, bad days. Some days you're able to be successful, some days you're not. Some days it's your turn, some days it's not your turn. And that's what sports is about. You don't always win. Sometimes other people win. And this year somebody else is going to win, simple as that."

The Bucks began the postseason as the betting favorites to win the NBA championship but fell to the Heat in perhaps one of the biggest upsets in playoff history. No 1-seed had lost in the first round to an 8-seed since 2012, when the Chicago Bulls lost to the Philadelphia 76ers following a season-ending injury to Derrick Rose.

Milwaukee led by 16 points entering the fourth quarter in Game 5, but Miami rallied in the fourth and prevailed overtime for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in a series-clinching win in NBA history.

The Bucks were just 5-for-25 on field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime, and finished with