After the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets Saturday night, star Giannis Antetokounmpo was frustrated with the team, himself, and how they played on the defensive side of the ball. In how they can get better on defense, the former NBA champion would say the word “pride” four times before going into detail about what they can do according to Eric Nehem of The Athletic.
“Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride. We gotta take it personal,” Antetokounmpo said, when asked how the Bucks can get better defensively this season. “Like, we have to take it personal. Whoever wants to play hard, plays hard. Whoever doesn’t want to play hard, it’s gotta be a decision that’s gotta be made. Even myself, too. If I don’t play hard, sit me out, sit me on the bench. There’s times I’m tired and I don’t play as hard as I can, and there’s times even when I give everything I have. But we have to have a mentality of whenever we step on the floor, we have to get stops.”
Antetokounmpo believes Bucks are relying on offense
While the Bucks are known for their massive offensive firepower led by the likes of Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who was acquired via trade before the season, the former believes that is not how you win. He believes Milwaukee has to play complimentary basketball and the success will follow in nature.
“That’s how we’re going to win. We’re not going to win by getting a rhythm offensively. Obviously, they were a tough team because they switch everything and you have to play one-on-one in order for you to break down their defense,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we cannot rely on that. We have to rely on getting stops. Guys have to play with more effort, including me. It starts with me always. Always… Including me. I have to be able, every time we step on the floor, to figure out the ways to get stops. Play harder. That’s it.”
He stressed the sense of urgency on defense after the game to the media by saying that the offense can flip-flop in performance, but the defense does not leave any room for error. Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly the team's leader as he gave a candid response for himself and the team saying there was no effort and once again, “no pride.”
“Offense is gonna be there some nights, and, some nights, it’s not going to be there,” Antetokounmpo said to The Athletic. “Your defensive effort, though, has got to be there. And defensively, our effort was not there. There was no pride. Guys were just driving the ball, straight-line drive, getting to the paint, over-helping, shooting 3s, offensive rebounds. There was nothing. This was not the Milwaukee Bucks. This is not who we are.”
Antetokounmpo talks about each half of the game
Even on the offensive side of the ball, the former two-time MVP carried the weight as he scored 48 points and collected 17 rebounds while the next highest scorer was Lillard with 18. After Kris Middleton's 10 points, no one on the Bucks scored in double-digits. On the other hand, Houston had an all-around solid performance which put them over the edge.
Antetokounmpo does give credit to the team for playing better in the second half as they held the Rockets to their lowest-scoring quarters. He even expressed that the team's performance in the second half is more like the team he recognizes compared to the first 24 minutes of the contest.
“The second half, we were better,” Antetokounmpo said. “Third quarter, we were better. Fourth quarter, we were better. We won both quarters. Yeah, we went out there and competed. We make it harder, pre-switch, fronted the post, put our hands in the ball, made it tough for them, got every rebound that we could. We made it tough. That’s who we are.”
The 29-year old superstar implied that he does not recognize the Bucks as he usually is in love with their defensive effort. However, he feels as if the team is relying too heavily on their offensive prowess.
“In the first half, we didn’t do that. And it’s not good, man. ‘Cause right now we’re playing a type of basketball, especially defensively, that is not us,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have to be better. In order for us to win, we have to be better. We cannot just rely on our offense of scoring 130 points, 140 points every single night. It’s not going to work that way. It’s not going to work that way.”
Antetokounmpo says it starts with him
At the end of the day, Antetokounmpo says all of the blame should be directed towards him. He cites himself as well as other players on dying “on screens” and that it “always starts with me.” On the season, the seven-time All-Star is averaging 31.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting an efficient 61 percent from the field.
“We cannot die on screens. We die on screens, including myself,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m not trying to throw anybody under the bus. That’s why I keep saying including myself. Always. It starts from me. I’m the leader of the team. It always starts with me. I have to be better, but we cannot die on screens. What, because Bobby (Portis) and Brook (Lopez) are back there, what does that mean? That we are going to— we are just going to die on screens and let the guy go downhill and shoot a floater because Brook is going to save our butts? That’s how we’re going to win a championship? No, that’s not how we’re going to win a championship.”
According to The Athletic, “before Saturday’s game, the Bucks ranked 21st in defensive rating, allowing teams to score 115.9 points per 100 possessions.” As shown by that statistic, this wasn't a one-game trend, it has occurred throughout the season so far.
While it is a disappointing loss to say the least, the Bucks are still 25-11 which puts them second in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the top seed in the Boston Celtics. They will look to bounce back Monday night as they are at home for a four-game home stand as face the Utah Jazz at the Fiserv Forum.
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