Shaquille O’Neal Issues Damning Verdict on Bucks After Falling to 3-7 in Doc Rivers Era

Shaquille O’Neal is a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks. Which means they’re going to experience his tough love. With the addition of Hall-of-Fame coach Doc Rivers in December 2023, they seem to have all the championship-winning pieces. However, Shaq feels that the Bucks themselves don’t know it.

“The way they’re playing right now, they gonna get swept in the first round,” the 4x NBA champion said after the Bucks lost 113-110 to the Grizzlies, a result the Inside Guys didn’t foresee. This brings Milwaukee to 3-7 with stars like Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo playing for Doc Rivers.

The Inside Guys weren’t going easy on Doc Rivers since he was announced as the head coach for the Eastern Conference All-Stars a week into his new job with the Bucks. He irked the TNT guys even more after the two-game losing streak when he said, “We had some guys here, and we had some guys in Cabo.” 

Injuries have left the Grizzlies team shorthanded and they pulled the biggest upset before the All-Star break. The TNT crew was amused at Grizzlies rookie, GG Jackson, crediting Doc Rivers to their win. “That’s a championship team on paper, but nowhere near a championship,” Shaq bluntly said.

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In fact, Shaquille O’Neal was so dismayed with the Bucks, he found himself agreeing with Charles Barkley.

The TNT Crew expect more from Doc Rivers

Barkley too believed Milwaukee has a strong roster. But they’ve been disappointing him in recent games. Venting his frustration, he put all the blame on the new head coach.

“Memphis play really, really hard… The Bucks win games on talent. That’s why they lose so many games and leads. They strictly play on talent. They have like no strategy,” he said before Shaq agreed with him. The Bucks couldn’t escape more TNT jibing as Giannis Antetokounmpo won no.1 on ‘Shaqtin A Fool.’

Giannis had a relatively good game with 35 points, 4 rebounds, and 12 assists. But his Shaqtin A Fool moment made O’Neal bring back the Thanasis and ‘Greek Bleak’ jokes again while Barkley performed the circus music acapella. But given that ‘Thanasis’ can still outdo expectations on the Bucks’ worst day, Chuck believes, “That guy had better job security than the Supreme Court Justice.”

To Barkley’s point, the Greak Freak is not going anywhere. The TNT crew just has their fingers crossed that Doc Rivers can do better with his star players.

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