The Milwaukee Bucks’ painful two days have come to an end! Well, it wasn’t a happy ending, though. Riding on a 4-game winning streak, the team took on the Orlando Magic last night and fell prey to their physicality. Tonight, they faced the Cavs, an amplified version of the Florida side. Guess what? The result was the same. Disappointed with the outcome, the Bucks coach Doc Rivers, in his usual way, engaged in the blame game. But firstly, he suspected a lack of trust within the fold.

The Cavaliers outsmarted the Wisconsin side right from the get-go. But the Bucks still held their ground in the first quarter, and it wasn’t the same after that, as per Rivers. Speaking at the presser, he said, “I thought after the first quarter we didn’t play well,” and blamed the bench. “When we subbed in with the second unit and they stopped moving the ball… We never got our rhythm back. I thought we lost our rhythm from that point on,” said the 63-year-old.

In fact, Doc Rivers had the exact problem after losing the game to the Magic and said, “We didn’t move the ball a lot.” Lack of ball movement means very low assists and the team had recorded an underwhelming total assist of 17 in both games. This only indicates that the Bucks aren’t connected as a team. However, tonight, Rivers accused the bench of not moving the ball around.

So, what does it leave us with? Simple. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are struggling without any help. Well, in a way, it’s true. Even after the inclusion of Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims, and Kevin Porter Jr., in the deadline, the team has a less experienced bench. Most of it might have to do with Bobby Portis’ latest suspension. The league suspended him for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. But is there any other reason behind the team’s lack of connectivity? Coach Rivers predicted a lack of trust within the team. 

Doc Rivers addressed the trust issues in the Bucks’ locker room

The Bucks faced two of the most physical teams in a back-to-back game. The team’s lockdown defense not only restricted the ball movement but also reduced the three-point attempts. Tonight, the team could manage to shoot only 31 three-pointers, out of which only 29% went in. Last night, it was even worse. The team could only make 23 attempts. 

For example, the defense ultimately left Damian Lillard, the three-point specialist, to run up the lane all by himself and make his buckets. Mind you, he didn’t dish out passes in his runway business. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough.

Speaking of the lack of ball movement, Rivers said, “I thought the difference in the two teams’ trust (and) ball movement was visual, you know. We’ve had it. We’ve lost it the last couple of games.“

Standing in the fourth seed, the Bucks have very little margin for error. A small mistake at this point in the season may even cost them a playoff spot, as the Pacers and Pistons are right behind to nab the spot. Anyway, Rivers expressed hope, as he concluded, “We got to get it (Trust) back.” 

With 19 more games left in the season, Giannis & Co. should light up the lost flare and unite the team. Can they surprise the league with their postseason run? Let us know in the comments.