of milwaukee bucks Despite having the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, the team made the surprising decision to fire head coach Adrian Griffin this week. Griffin's suspension was reportedly due to poor defense, a point differential against a team that would lose in the first round, and because Griffin was lost in a locker room that included superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. .
Doc Rivers has agreed to a contract to become the Bucks' new head coach, but he was not coaching the team Wednesday night, the team's first game since Griffin's firing. cleveland cavaliers. With interim coach Joe Planty at the helm, the Bucks defeated the Cavs 126-116, ending Cleveland's winning streak at eight.
The atmosphere for the Bucks was clearly perfect from the start of the game. Does this look like a group that is happy to see their head coach fired?
There will always be a lot of pressure on this year's Bucks, who pulled off a bold trade for Damian Lillard just before the season. Milwaukee won a championship with this mainstay in 2021, but one title isn't enough for a player like Antetokounmpo who aspires to be the best of all time.
The rest of the roster is aging. Anything other than a championship this season will feel like a failure. It may have seemed harsh to fire Griffin after such an outstanding record, but most people who watched the Bucks this year agree they never looked like a truly elite team under Griffin. did.
Antetokounmpo has been reported as follows. I like Griffin better than Nick Nurse. That happened this summer, when the Bucks were in the market for a head coach. Nurse would eventually join the rival Philadelphia 76ers as head coach. After the win over the Cavs, Giannis was asked what role he played in the hiring and firing of Griffin, and he basically replied at length that it wasn't his decision.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's post-game press conference tonight: @LoriNickel Giannis was asked if Bucks coach Adrian Griffin's firing felt any different because he was involved in Griffin's recruiting process.
Antetokounmpo's four-minute response is below. pic.twitter.com/pDfavTIJcM
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 25, 2024
This is a legitimately good win for Milwaukee, as the Cavaliers have been playing very well lately without injured starters Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. The Bucks are still the No. 2 seed in the East, but Philadelphia is catching up to them.
It's Doc Rivers' job to make sure the Bucks reach their full potential. Of course, Rivers has his own history of playoff failure aside from his 2008 title win with the Celtics. One thing's for sure: The pressure is on for Milwaukee, even though Giannis already has one championship ring on his back. The river would be better off in full swing.
