In an important match, against the Pistons, to qualify for the quarter-final of the NBA Cup, the Bucks had negotiated the turn perfectly, with an authoritarian victory. Except that this success required a lot of effort and, the next day, for the reception of the Hawks, the great series of seven successes in a row came to an end.
“We don’t like to lose. We won seven games in a row and the locker room was silent after that game, which is positive for our team, to have the feeling that we let this match slip away.”, says Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But did the Greek and his teammates still have the fuel to win? Not sure, as the defense was unable to follow the Hawks' transitions, nor properly protect its circle.
“For a majority of the match, we didn't have the legs. We didn't analyze things well, which is a direct sign of fatigue.” says Doc Rivers. “We did not apply our systems well. Our passes were slow, our circulation was not good. »
Forget this defeat and think about Boston
However, with a 12-0 in the third quarter, the Milwaukee players managed to offer themselves a window to get back into the game. But Atlanta will have a quick response to give itself some breathing room.
“It happens from time to time, there are matches in the calendar where I tell myself that we are going to try to stay alive until the second half to try to steal the victory. It's not nice to say that for a home game, but that was the feeling of that game. We had a tough and emotional match the day before, so we didn't have much left.”insists the coach.
So, like the Clippers, are the Bucks tired? “No excuses: they were better than us”dismisses Giannis Antetokounmpo. “We didn't take enough shots or defend enough. They were better overall. »
Doc Rivers is already announcing it: we must not dwell on this setback since we will have to face the Celtics on Friday. “We're not going to do too much with this match. We have to move on quickly, rest because we have to go to Boston. We'll be ready for that.”warns the technician before the clash against the reigning champions.
