Dominating the court doesn’t always mean victory—just ask the Milwaukee Bucks. Sunday’s meltdown proved it. Facing the Atlanta Hawks was never going to be easy, but losing by 21 points? That’s a disaster. Doc Rivers’ squad crumbled, falling 124-145. Even Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 31-point effort couldn’t save them. And just like his coach, he knew exactly where it all went wrong.
Coach Rivers had a firm belief that crumbled after the 48-minute action at Fiserv Forum. And that is, scoring more than 120 points would help the team. Also, because the 63-year-old mastermind trusted the defense. But sadly, this defense on transition turned out to be the cause of the downfall vs. the Hawks. Thus, speaking to the media, Doc Rivers marked the errors without hiding a word.
Doc Rivers reveals the errors amidst the loss as he describes the locker room’s condition
Doc Rivers couldn’t fault the start. The Bucks came out strong, moving the ball well. And the Greek Freak played like he was the ultimate point guard: scoring, passing, and creating. Every play started with him. The ball was hopping, the offense was flowing. But every time they scored, the Hawks struck right back.
“So the three things to me—because it’s not just the turnovers and the offensive rebounds, it’s the transition D again. And that’s the same thing the other night,” Rivers admitted. While giving up the ball and failing to secure rebounds hurt them, they could not stop the Hawks in transition, and that proved costly. He emphasized that this wasn’t a one-time problem but something that had already troubled them in previous games.
Doc Rivers further added: “They scored over and over after makes. Like, we were making—when you think about it, it’s hard to imagine that, but we’re shooting 70%. So that means we’re making a lot of shots, and they were still beating us down the floor. We’ve got to fix it. That’s on me.” Thus, holding himself accountable for the loss for not foreseeing the recurring troubles, the mastermind had three words to describe the locker room’s current situation.
Mar 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
How disappointing is it for the team to lose a game that they could’ve won had the defenses not failed in transition? Coach Rivers had the perfect answer to summarize his locker room’s situation after the loss. He said: “It’s disappointing. It’s deflating because it’s every possession. Early on, it’s only one guy, but that guy is different. And so, it’s just really frustrating.”
Doc Rivers wore his discontent for everyone to see. Every possession felt like a gut punch. Early on, it was just one player causing trouble, but that one player made all the difference. The Bucks just couldn’t stop the bleeding, and that made it even more deflating.
Amidst the errors and failure, there is always room for recovery, and the Milwaukee Bucks know how to do it. Besides, Giannis Antetokounmpo may have the right plans to bounce back.
Giannis Antetokounmpo gives out plans to recover as the Bucks head closer to the playoffs
How will Antetokounmpo & Co. recover from their transition defense troubles? What is the fix for something as concerning as this one? They have solved this problem before, so it shouldn’t be that difficult. “We just got to, you know, have urgency. I feel like there’s a lot of individual pride now because, like, things are not going well,” the 30-year-old Greek giant stated.
Giannis Antetokounmpo saw the problem loud and clear. The Bucks were too focused on their matchups, which meant they forgot the basics. In transition, the ball comes first, then the basket. But instead of protecting the paint, they kept running to their man. That mistake cost them, and Giannis knew it had to change. “Somebody got to pick up the ball and then run and protect our paint, which is our house, basically. I think at times we just basically—even me, I did it,” Antetokounmpo added.
Mar 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
In the first two quarters, Giannis had to look for some assists and to pass the ball up the paint while Zaccharie Risacher breathed on his shoulder. It wasn’t a good situation, but then transitions were the trouble. “Have more urgency there. Like, I got to protect my basket first. You know, if I don’t pick up my man, I got to pick up that guy. So that’s the mentality as a team that we have to have to be better in transition,” Giannis concluded.
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