A heartbreaking loss indeed. As we headed closer to the final whistle, it looked like the Bucks would end their night with a much-needed win. However, an incorrect foul call on Giannis Antetokounmpo in the final seconds took that joy away. Sure, the officials admitted their crucially bad mistake after the game. But don’t you think it was too little too late for that? With no surprise, Doc Rivers was left fuming at the officials as he went on an epic rant, risking a major penalty that we’ve seen being imposed in the past.

Addressing the controversial call during the postgame presser, Doc said, “I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call. This is back-to-back games now where, on the final play, there has been an incorrect call made.” Yes, something similar happened in the last game against the Pistons where Giannis was called for a controversial foul during a tied game, leading to free throws for the opponents. Fortunately, Ron Holland II missed both shots, and the Bucks survived in overtime. But they were not that lucky tonight.

Rivers continued his post-game rant, risking a $25k fine for criticizing the officials, saying, “That’s what upsets us like we’re playing hard. We got Dame out, Khris Middleton out, but we’re playing great, we’re playing together. You just can’t do what you did at the end of the game with that call. If you’re not 100% sure, even if you saw contact, but you’re not sure you can’t make it. But the one thing you can’t do is guess. And that was a complete guess, and we got hurt by it. And that’s just not fair.”

Dame has been out for the last three games after entering the NBA’s concussion protocol. But the injured hoopster was pissed at the officials for the blown call, as he tweeted, “Bull—t call for game.” Well, his frustration is justified because the refs’ mistake led to two free throws for LaMelo Ball, which eventually proved to be the game-winning buckets.

Meanwhile, Middleton is still recovering from multiple ankle surgeries and is yet to make his season debut. Veteran insider Shams Charania recently reported, “He has not even progressed to 5-on-5 yet. They are not sure exactly when he’s going to go to 5-on-5. His absence essentially has been much longer than team officials have anticipated.” So, there’s no telling when Middleton will be back.

The Bucks have tried their best to stay afloat in their key players’ absence. However, crucial mistakes like tonight really hurt their morale. But Giannis Antetokounmpo has somehow kept an optimistic approach throughout the whole frustrating ordeal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo brushes away controversy and focuses on “building” with Doc Rivers’ Bucks

Unlike Dame and Doc Rivers, Giannis Antetokounmpo refused to comment on the controversial call, conclusively asserting, “You know I’ve been in the league for, this is my 12th year, Rule No. 1: Don’t give away your money. And Rule No. 2: Don’t forget Rule No. 1. So, I’m not gonna comment on that.” Maybe, the hoopster understood that commenting on anything now would not change the outcome of the game, so there was no point risking a fine by calling out the officials.

Getting fined for dissent against the NBA refs’ isn’t something unheard of. One of the greatest modern-day HCs, Steve Kerr, has been fined 25k more than once, after his tussles with the ref. Further, Mike Brown, D’Lo, Draymond Green, etc. have been penalized too.

But coming back to the Bucks case, Giannis Antetokounmpo instead posted images from the game on his social media accounts and spread a positive message, “We keep building.”

Obviously, the Bucks have had a rough start to the season, losing 9 of their 13 games. But the Greek Freak believes that they have played well recently despite missing Dame and Middleton, saying, “Our previous game was good. I think both games we played really well… Two of our best players are missing. The last 5 to 6 games, we’re playing good basketball, and the guys are competing. I just love to see it.” And he hopes that luck will be on their side the next time they step on the hardwood.