Fans took out their pitchforks and called for the firing of coach Doc Rivers when the Milwaukee Bucks stumbled out of the gates with a 2-8 record.
The first person who shielded Rivers from the vitriol was none other than Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, diffusing rumors that he wanted the seasoned tactician out.
Now, the Bucks have righted the ship. They have won nine of their last 11 games, including back-to-back wins, to improve to 13-11. They beat the Orlando Magic, 114-109, on Tuesday to move on to the semifinals of the NBA Cup. They are awaiting the winner between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks.
While some have dismissed the NBA Cup, winning the title would further validate the Bucks' resilience and togetherness during their terrible start to the season. As they say, winning changes everything.
Ahead of the semifinals in Las Vegas, Antetokounmpo once again maintained that they're not messing around.
"I'm very happy that we're able to go to Vegas," said the two-time MVP in a video posted by the NBA on X. "We have unfinished business. We're going to have fun, we're going to play good basketball, we're going to compete.
"We're not going just to go there, we're going there to win games."
The Bucks also advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural in-season tournament last year but lost to the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo was named to the All-NBA In-Season Tournament Team.
In their last 10 games, the eight-time All-Star averaged 33.2 points, including two 40-point outings, 10.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 blocks.
Antetokounmpo has scored 20 or more points on at least 50%shooting for 22 straight games-the longest streak to open a season in NBA history-according to a report from the Associated Press.
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This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 10:50 AM.