Giannis Antetokounmpo is back on court with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2021 NBA playoffs. During the off-season he signed a $228 million supermax extension contract, keeping him on for another five years.

During last Thursday’s team press conference the 26-year-old seemed to be very cautious not to become too optimistic or to get ahead of himself for the new season.

“I don’t know if this year is gonna be different. I’m not gonna lie to you. It might be the same. Who knows. The results are gonna talk for themselves in the end. But at the end of the day, I don’t get too high, don’t get too low. I feel like last year, probably because of the bubble I wasn’t able to get away from basketball. Like, losing a game and just going to the hotel and seeing the players that just beat you, you got too low.”

The team already claimed the win in its season opening game in the seven-game series against Miami Heat, by a mere two points 109-107.

The game wasn’t without some controversy, as the ‘Greek Freak’ was 2 of 5 from the line during the last minute and six seconds of the game when he was dealt a 10-second violation that prevented him from getting another free-throw attempt.

READ MORE: Giannis Antetokounmpo signs on for five more years and $228 million with the Bucks

During the post match conference, Antetokounmpo brushed off the call and said his gameplay will remain the same.

“I’m not going to complain about it, because that’s not who I am,” he said. “If it was a 10-second call, great call. Like, I’m going to keep doing my routine, keep trying to make my free throws. Yeah, and if it’s 10 seconds, it’s going to be 10 seconds. Like, I’m going to live with that,” he said.

“I just tried to stay aggressive the whole game. That’s what I’m going to try to do the whole series, miss or make.”

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, the Greek Freak appeared to grab his elbow in pain and wore a sleeve on his left arm, but pushed through ending on 26 points, 18 rebounds and five assists but shot 10 of 27 overall and 6 of 13 on free-throw attempts.

The Bucks went on to use its home court advantage once again during the second game in NBA first-round playoff series, winning 132-98.

Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, along with 13 rebounds and six assists.

The Bucks have now won two for two and are hoping to boot the team that overcame them 4-1 in the second round last year.

The third game will see the Bucks head to Miami to play on Thursday, or Friday at 9:30am AEST if you are hoping to catch it in Australia.