Lillard struggles
The Bucks are reeling, and even they don’t know why. The other day, they bowed to the middling Jazz even though they led by as much as 19, and by a seemingly comfortable 12 after three quarters. And it wasn’t simply that they absorbed their third loss in four games under new head coach Doc Rivers; it was that they did so with an endgame swoon. They couldn’t buy a bucket in the payoff period, during which they were outscored 40-13 to ultimately lose by 15. The negative turnaround would have been abhorrent under any circumstance, but certainly unacceptable given the presence of All-Star starters Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the court.
In the aftermath, the Bucks chalked up the setback to uncharacteristic misses. Antetokounmpo argued that it was simply a matter of canning veritable gimmes. “It was a lot of wide-open shots that we didn’t make. You make one or two, the momentum stops and it’s a whole different game,” he said. Rivers concurred, noting that “we couldn’t script better shots … Every shot was wide open, but everything was front rim.” That said, there can be no denying their downhill trajectory. They’ve claimed just two of their last six outings dating back to Joe Prunty’s temporary occupancy of the hot seat.
Considering that the Bucks made the uncharacteristic move of firing Adrian Griffin — whom they handpicked in the offseason — despite a 30-13 slate, they obviously expect immediate dividends with Rivers at the helm. They gave him a $40-million deal spanning four years, indicating their confidence in his capacity to not merely steer them to greater heights heading into the playoffs, but to give them a legitimate shot at bringing home another Larry O’Brien Trophy after their successful bid in 2021. Viewed from rose-colored lenses, their barrage of defeats cannot but be unacceptable.
It’s fair to argue that Rivers deserves some time to view his responsibilities in the context of the resources he has at his disposal. On the other hand, there’s no excuse for the Bucks not taking care of business when they should be; in their last stop prior to snatching failure from the throes of victory against the Jazz, they succumbed to the lowly Blazers. And it bears pointing out that Lillard has struggled for consistency under the new dispensation. Bottom line, this is all on him; he may be in unfamiliar territory, but he’s still presumed to do his job well. It’s why he’s being paid the big bucks, pun wholly intended.
ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.