MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks’ curler coaster season has hit its nadir with the playoffs lower than two weeks away.
The Bucks have misplaced 4 straight video games and 6 of their previous seven. They’re 15-17 beneath coach Doc Rivers after going 32-14 earlier than his arrival.
Though Milwaukee (47-31) has a one-game lead over the Orlando Magic (46-32) and New York Knicks (46-32) within the race for the No. 2 seed within the Jap Convention playoffs behind the Boston Celtics, the Bucks might be dealing with one other early exit in the event that they don’t flip issues round.
“Positively not a superb feeling,” two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo mentioned Sunday after the Bucks’ 122-109 loss to the New York Knicks. “Sort of the atmosphere on the crew doesn’t really feel proper.”
Antetokounmpo then went into extra element relating to his remark concerning the atmosphere.
“If you lose video games, you don’t really feel good,” he mentioned. “You’re not glad. In case you return dwelling, you can not sit down and watch Amazon Prime and be relaxed and revel in your steak (or) some guys who drink, drink your wine or beer or no matter they drink. Or in my case, do my Legos. When I attempt to put my Legos in place, I’m extra pissed off and I’m hurting my fingers and stuff. That’s what I imply by the atmosphere not feeling good.
“We’re not a shedding crew. We don’t have that mentality. That’s not in us.”
The Bucks have been by way of loads of upheaval ever since they’d the league’s greatest regular-season report final 12 months, however misplaced to the Miami Warmth within the first spherical of the playoffs.
They fired coach Mike Budenholzer and bought star guard Damian Lillard. Budenholzer was changed by Adrian Griffin, who obtained dismissed halfway by way of the season regardless of having a 30-13 report. Joe Prunty went 2-1 as an interim head coach earlier than Rivers got here aboard.
The teaching change was a sign the Bucks weren’t glad with their struggles on protection and uncomfortably shut wins over shedding groups throughout Griffin’s temporary tenure. However the inconsistency has continued beneath Rivers.
The Bucks misplaced seven of Rivers’ first 10 video games. They gained six straight after the All-Star break. Now they’re slumping once more.
“These are the moments the place you discover out who’s an actual one and who’s not, as a result of all people’s going to be saying unfavourable stuff, how flawed it’s and the way unhealthy it’s,” Lillard mentioned. “You’ll be able to fold or not fold. That’s what we’re going to find out about ourselves going into the playoffs, primarily based on the expertise we’re having proper now.”
Any comparability of the information beneath Griffin and Rivers ought to point out the extenuating circumstances.
Milwaukee’s schedule obtained considerably harder after the teaching change. Sunday’s loss to the Knicks marked simply the fourth time previously 29 video games that Antetokounmpo, Lillard and three-time All-Star Khris Middleton had been all obtainable, and Middleton left after getting hit within the mouth halfway by way of the second quarter. These three gamers had been collectively for about two-thirds of the pre-Rivers video games, although Middleton was on a minutes restriction for a lot of of them.
However even with out all of their prime gamers, the Bucks have way more expertise than the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors. All three of these groups have crushed the Bucks over the previous week.
“This crew is simply too gifted, for my part, to undergo this, regardless of who’s been out and in,” Rivers mentioned. “Each crew has guys out. I’ve obtained to determine that out.”
Reserve guard Pat Connaughton mentioned after the loss to the Raptors that the Bucks wanted to play with extra pleasure. Antetokounmpo agreed with that evaluation Sunday.
“It’s virtually like we’re going by way of the motions,” Antetokounmpo mentioned. “We’ve obtained to seek out that pleasure again. To ensure that us to seek out that pleasure again, we’ve obtained to maneuver the ball. … When all people touches the ball, all people has that power.”
The Bucks don’t have a lot time to seek out it earlier than the postseason. Milwaukee has simply 4 regular-season video games left, and all are in opposition to playoff-bound groups. They host Boston on Tuesday and Orlando on Wednesday earlier than visiting Oklahoma Metropolis on Friday and Orlando on Sunday.
The Bucks are assured they will nonetheless flip it round due to how properly they’ve performed after they’re at their greatest. The Bucks blew out Oklahoma Metropolis 118-93 simply earlier than the beginning of this tailspin.
“Everyone simply stored each other accountable (in opposition to the Thunder),” Antetokounmpo mentioned. “I believe typically we simply don’t. We simply decide and select. However the perception is there. The assumption is there. However we’ve obtained to get higher. All through these 4 video games, 5 video games left, we’ve obtained to construct good habits. We’ve obtained to observe movie. We’ve obtained to spend time collectively. As a result of if we don’t, we’re in all probability going to be in bother.”
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