Bucks Under Pressure: Can They Turn Their Struggles Around?

Hope remains, despite a 1–3 start.

“Overall, I think our performance was fairly strong,” stated Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers.

Contentment, despite being 1–3.

“On the whole, we executed well on the court,” remarked Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Assured of progress, even at 1–3.

“In the first half, our cohesiveness was evident,” Bobby Portis observed.

Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells once famously said, You are what your record says you are. The Bucks, however, are not convinced. A 119–108 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Monday left Milwaukee with a record of 1–3. Despite consecutive losses to the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets, the Bucks displayed resilience against Boston, leading by three points at halftime before a barrage of three-pointers from Boston in the second half overwhelmed them.

“I’m not a fan of moral victories,” Rivers commented. “But for three quarters, we showed our potential.”

Indeed, for three quarters—or perhaps 2½ to be exact—the Bucks matched their opponents. Damian Lillard was on fire in the first half, as was Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee’s defense effectively contained all Celtics players except Payton Pritchard, and their towering frontcourt dominated the rebounds.

In the third quarter, everything fell apart. The game was tied with five minutes remaining in the period. By its end, Boston had built an eight-point lead, having made seven three-pointers in that quarter alone, while the Bucks failed to score any.

“This team thrives on that,” Lillard said. “They make a stop, get a steal, run, shoot threes, and that’s their game.”

That’s exactly the style Boston prefers. The Celtics attempted 47 three-point shots against Milwaukee, a high number that actually represented a decrease from their season average of 51. Every player in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation poses a threat from long range. Before the matchup, Rivers had highlighted Pritchard’s ability to explode offensively, saying, “I literally circled his name.” In the first half, Pritchard sank seven of his first ten attempts, including five three-pointers, keeping the Celtics within striking distance.

The Bucks are still in the process of finding their rhythm. Following Sunday’s unexpected loss to the struggling Brooklyn team, Antetokounmpo expressed concerns about the team’s lack of a clear identity. Rivers lamented the insufficient ball movement, and Lillard voiced frustration over the team’s erratic starts. “How are we going to win?” Antetokounmpo posed to reporters on Sunday. “Are we going to defend consistently for 48 minutes? Are we going to keep the ball moving? Are we going to stay aggressive? We need to establish our identity. We don’t have that right now.”

It’s not unusual for teams to struggle with identity early on, especially for a team like last season’s Bucks, which saw significant changes including the acquisition of Lillard before the season and the mid-season firing of coach Adrian Griffin. This season presents its own challenges—Khris Middleton is still out with an injury, and Milwaukee is adjusting to a new defensive scheme—but they had a full training camp and most of the core players have returned.

Observing the Bucks, one can’t help but feel hopeful they will find their groove. Lillard remains an exceptional scorer, Antetokounmpo is formidable in transition, and their point-of-attack defense, which struggled against Chicago and Brooklyn, showed significant improvement on Monday. Despite shooting only 8-of-31 from beyond the arc against Boston, Milwaukee missed many open opportunities, shots that Middleton would likely make upon his return.

“On most nights, those are shots we feel confident about,” Rivers noted. “We’ll continue to encourage our guys to make those passes because they were excellent passes that just didn’t connect tonight. You have to accept that.”

Lillard shared, “It seems like we have faith when things are going well. Overall, I believe we are a team that maintains belief, but the best teams consistently trust in their process, whether they’re leading or trailing, whether things are going smoothly or not.”

There’s a sense of urgency in Milwaukee, possibly more than anywhere else in the league. Lillard, Middleton, and Brook Lopez are over 30, and come December, Antetokounmpo will join them. Realistically, this iteration of the Bucks has about a two-year window to claim another championship. And the team that outplayed them in the third quarter did so without their starting center, Kristaps Porzingis.

Inside the Bucks’ locker room on Monday, the mood focused on the positives: solid first-half defense, early offensive synergy, and the ability to compete with the top team in the NBA, even if just for stretches. They see reasons to believe that the early setbacks can be overcome.

“Even if we’re not at our best, even if we’re really struggling, it’s only the fourth game,” Antetokounmpo pointed out. “Optimism is

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