Tension rises in the Bucks fold after the fourth straight loss. The critics and fans are clearly confused when it comes down to blaming someone for the loss. Is it Giannis Antetokounmpo or Doc Rivers’ fault? Well, for now, critics have equally blamed both of them after the team’s horrid 1-4 start to the season. Nevertheless, the Greek Freak took matters into his own hands after tonight’s loss, as he dismissed Coach Rivers’ charge at the team’s big man.

Doc Rivers,  infamously known for his blame game, started off his presser with a disclaimer. He said, “Everything’s on me until we get it right,” while speaking of the team’s defensive abilities. However, merely a few seconds later, he blamed the team’s big guys (Giannis and Brook Lopez) for their defensive play. Rivers added, “One of the things we wanted to do is have our bigs in the paint but our bigs was on the ball at half those times.” 

However, Giannis Antetokounmpo politely dismissed it in a locker room interview after the game. The former MVP stood up for the bigs and said, “At the end of the day if you’re not the big, don’t crash. I feel like we don’t have as much organization. We are not organized. if you’re not a big you got to get back (to the paint in transition)” After tonight’s 99-122 loss against the Grizzlies, Giannis pointed out the Bucks’ inability to catch up with Memphis side’s fast-paced playing style.

Nevertheless, the Greek Freak didn’t leave it at that. He also showed promising signs of improving as a team, saying, “That’s not only it but it’s an area (guarding in the paint) that we got to improve defensively.” It’s important to note that this issue surfaced as an aftereffect of the Grizzlies’ 70+ points in the paint tonight.

Will the blame game ever stop within Giannis Antetokounmpo & C0.?

Not long ago, the team suffered a frustrating loss against the Celtics after a tough fight in the initial half. The team completely blew it in the latter half. Nevertheless, Giannis and Damian Lillard put up a promising performance but it wasn’t enough. And, this time, Doc Rivers proceeded to blame the bench. He said, “I don’t like moral victories but I just thought that’s what we can be you know at least for three-quarters thought we kind of you know ran out of gas a little didn’t get a lot of help tonight from our bench so we extended minutes.”

However, Rivers has promised to take it upon himself until get things right for the Bucks. It’s also important to understand that the veteran coach hasn’t been at his best since he took over the Bucks half through the 2023-24 season. Currently, he has a 19-24 record and if it continues go at this rate, then the Bucks may not even qualify for the postseason.

Above all, there’s narrative flowing in the NBA world regarding Dame Lillard’s recent confession. The star point guard had said that he had been feeling “lonely” since he moved to Wisconsin. Some critics pointed out Giannis’ lack of involvement in making his teammate feel better. So, this posts a question, along with other few questions. Will Dame stick around with the Bucks after this season?

Will the Bucks have to replace their coach once again mid way through the season? Or Will Doc Rivers turn things around for the Wisconsin in the day to come? Let us know in the comments below.