Head coach Doc Rivers and Damian Lillard #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK— The Milwaukee Bucks may be down, but coach Doc Rivers is sure they will not be out for long — even though the results are stil in doubt.
The Bucks are perennial favorites to win both the Eastern Conference and NBA title. But they stumbled to a 2-7 start in Year 2 of the Rivers-Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damien Lillard experiment after a humbling 116-94 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night.
Milwaukee has lost seven of eight and is already 7.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Central Division lead and as close to the Eastern Conference basement as it is even a play-in spot.
It has all led to frustration, which boiled over for Antetokounmpo on Friday night.
“If you’re not going to go out there and compete, you’re not going to win the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes you compete your ass off, and you don’t win the game. But at least give yourself a chance.
“Are we OK not competing? I don’t know. I’m not okay with that shit.”
Trade rumors have begin swirling around the Bucks and their superstar swingman, since Milwaukee has not fulfilled its potential since its 2021 NBA championship. The Bucks have won just one playoff series since their championship and have been bounced from the postseason in the first round in consecutive years.
The Bucks have been sluggish offensively, ranking 20th in the NBA in points per game and 22nd in pace through 10 percent of the season while dropping games by double digits to also-rans like the Bulls, Nets and Grizzlies.
But Rivers, who took over for rookie coach Adrian Griffin midseason in 2023-24 but proceeded to go 17-19 before bowing out to Indiana in the first round, has belief the Bucks can turn it around.
“Me and the team,” Rivers said when asked why he feels the Bucks can turn rebound. “I think we have a lot of good things here, and we’ve gotten off to a tough start. We played kind of a quirky schedule. We haven’t played well.”
The Bucks are saying all the right things about it being early in the season, especially the fact they played six of their first nine games on the road – they will play seven of their next eight at home. But it can get late early in the NBA, especially since this is the continuation of a trend under Rivers that started a season ago.
He may have a loaded resume that includes an NBA championship, Coach of the Year honors and being named one of the league’s 15-greatest coaches of all-time. But Rivers has not been able to pull water from the stone in Milwaukee, proven by his 19-26 regular-season record, even though Antetokounmpo gave him a vote of confidence Friday night.
If history is any indicator, Rivers’ belief is more than just false hope. Antetoukounmpo is arguably the most feared player in the game, and Lillard is perhaps its most clutch shooter. Most of Milwaukee’s core was on the roster when it defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games, bringing the city its first pro-sports championship in 50 years.
Plus, Milwaukee is still without underrated third option Khris Middleton, who has not played yet this season while recovering from bilateral ankle surgery – Rivers said they are hoping he will ramp up basketball activity with him next week. While they wait for Middleton to return, the Bucks have relied on Bobby Portis Jr., who has struggled with confidence, according to Rivers.
“I’ve got to get him going,” Rivers said. “I’ve gotta get Bobby more comfortable here.”
There also are more than 70 games remaining in the regular season, which is a big reason why the NBA world isn’t buying into reports of Milwaukee’s demise either.
“They’ve actually played well in a lot of games,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of the Bucks. “If you look at schedule and health, those two probably go hand in hand. So, I think that’s been the biggest thing.”
But Rivers is confident better days are ahead, even amid swirling trade rumors swirling and the NBA world taking notice of Milwaukee’s struggles.
“It’s going to come together. I’m not concerned by that. I really am not,” Rivers said. “I think everyone else may be outside of us. I don’t think anybody in our building is concerned. The talk is all great but you still got to win games.”
But Antetokounmpo also cautioned against expecting teams to roll over for the Bucks.
“Playing the way we’re playing, teams will not just give us games,” Antetokounmpo said. “Teams will not feel bad about us. We have to come out with the mentality that we’ve got to compete for every possession, one possession at a time."
Pat Pickens is a veteran sportswriter who has been covering pro sports for the past 11-plus years, with bylines in Associated Press, New York Times, USA Today and more. He is the author of the 2021 non-fiction book “The Whalers,” about the history of the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.
