Giannis and Damian Lillard are aware of Doc Rivers’ and the Bucks’ concerns, saying, “It’s hard to take this job.” Milwaukee — After the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 141-117 on Saturday, Giannis Antetokounmpo sat at his locker and took a few moments to think about his response before answering the question regarding his new head coach. He held his left hand under his chin.
He was taking the responsibility of speaking about Doc Rivers seriously for the first time in public.
In a same vein, Rivers conveyed to reporters that he would handle the responsibilities that come with leading the Antetokounmpo-led Bucks with the same level of seriousness.
Regarding expectations, Rivers remarked, “I’ve learned that you would rather have them than not.” Upon accepting the Boston job (in 2004), I received numerous calls from coaches advising me against accepting the position. “The standards will be excessively impractical.” What the heck, I wonder? That is absurd. That’s what you desire. You desire standards. And they are on this team.
If anyone had any doubts about the high expectations before, they should know that Milwaukee needs more than just winning games. General manager Jon Horst’s moves since the Bucks’ loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season have demonstrated this. The Bucks are attempting to capture one more title.
For this reason, following last season’s first-round shock, the Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer, the NBA’s all-time winning regular-season coach and 2021 NBA champion. For this reason, in late September, the franchise acquired All-Star point guard Damian Lillard through a trade. Adrian Griffin helped guide the Bucks to a 30-13 record in his first 43 games as an NBA head coach, which is why the Bucks fired him earlier this week. That’s why the questions that arose after the Bucks’ Saturday night victory against the Pelicans didn’t really center on the victory, which was their seventh in nine games.
Instead, Antetokounmpo and Lillard were questioned about their impressions of their new coach, Rivers, and their potential to help the Bucks win a championship.
After pausing for a short while, Antetokounmpo spoke about his new coach’s intention to live up to the high standards that come with leading this team full of stars.
“When you lose, it seems like the world is coming to an end. Why didn’t you win by twenty? You won by five. Dame, Giannis, and Khris (Middleton) are all available to you. It’s challenging. Nothing is sufficient. All that is required is a championship. It’s absurd that we’ve reached that point. However, I’m accepting it. That’s alright with me. I have a good night’s sleep. I believe that having someone who is confident and doesn’t feel uncomfortable with that is important. I believe having someone like that improves the atmosphere in the locker room.
A portion of Antetokounmpo’s faith in Rivers stems from his long résumé, which includes his 24 years of NBA bench time.
Antetokounmpo said, “We know that he’s played in tough games.” “His participation in two NBA Finals is known to us. He’s been there, sort of. We had only visited there once. We would like to return there. Additionally, it can occasionally be beneficial to have experienced individuals nearby.
“Having someone say, ‘Hey, I’ve been here before,’ when things are difficult, challenging, or don’t go your way is helpful. That is our plan of action. This is the approach we will take. This is the way that we must remain united. Concerning the expectations, don’t worry. We must act in concert as a
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