The Milwaukee Bucks have found a new low this season, ending the Toronto Raptors’ 15-game winless streak by losing to them 111-117. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers spoke to the media after the game, taking accountability for the struggles and calling this form inexcusable.
“The last three were against three bad teams. To me, that’s inexcusable. For all of us. As I told them, this is on me. I gotta figure out what we gotta do to play at a higher pace.”
Rivers also opened up about his frustrations with the season, which he thinks could be a good thing but isn’t getting him anywhere.
“I’m frustrated. And they’re frustrated. I guess that’s a good thing, but that’s not going to get you anywhere. Frustration gets you nowhere. We gotta work ourselves through this. You can feel it. You literally can. You can feel it. You can feel it during the game. And you go through these things. I’ve been through them. You do. You gotta work yourselves out of them. Even one of the officials said, “Man, you can feel the heaviness of your team right now.” And I said, yeah. And that happens, but we have to play ourselves through it.”
The Bucks’ decision to fire Adrian Griffin mid-season has backfired on them entirely. The team were 30-13 at the time of Griffin’s firing, comfortably in the No. 2 seed of the East. Since Rivers was brought in to replace him, he’s gone 17-17. The last three losses, as Rivers put it, are legitimately inexcusable.
It’s hard to call the Bucks contenders when they’ve shown a lack of fluidity and connectivity since their sudden mid-season coaching change, with the Damian Lillard trade also not looking as good right now as it did before the season.
Can The Bucks Turn It Around?
Even with all the upheaval in Milwaukee, the Eastern Conference has been extremely poor outside of the Celtics this season. They’re still the No. 2 seed, though their 47-30 record would have them tied for No. 5 in the West. The lack of realistic contenders outside of the Celtics in the East means that the Bucks could still reasonably make a Conference Finals run, but beating Boston might be out of the question.
Damian Lillard has been inconsistent, averaging 24.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, not resembling the star player everyone thought Milwaukee was adding next to Giannis.
With Dame’s long-term contract and the lack of Bucks assets, they need to maximize this season as there is little room for roster improvement without a shake-up in the summer.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has had an MVP-caliber season, often carrying the Bucks to wins. He’s averaging 30.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. His performances could single-handedly carry the Bucks to the Conference Finals, and if Dame gets hot at the right time, they could resemble the offensive powerhouse they were under Griffin at the start of the season.
Rivers’ offensive game plans are uninspiring and not putting players in positions to succeed. He’s relying on Giannis and Dame to grind the offense out during games, which isn’t a consistent strategy. His coaching has improved the defense, but the team looks disconnected on the court. If he fails to execute in the playoffs, Milwaukee might be forced to make another coaching change.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
