After it was reported that Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers called a meeting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to discuss the struggles of the team after losing on March 18 to the Golden State Warriors, there's been some buzz. While Bucks fans were contemplating what needs to be fixed, it seems like it has been working as since the reported meeting, the team has won two of its last three as Antetokounmpo speaks more on the conversation.
In an interview with The Athletic, Antetokounmpo would be asked about the meeting with Rivers and Lillard and thought the discourse around it was blown out of proportion. While some in the basketball world thought it was this season-altering meeting, Antetokounmpo said it was just a “conversation.”
“It’s a conversation, it’s not unique, it’s a conversation with your coach,” Antetokounmpo said. “I have multiple conversations with Doc — on the plane, on the bus, after games, during games. Just conversations. We need to do this. We need to do that. It’s not something more than a conversation, you know? It’s not more. I don’t know if people want to make it more. It’s not more. It’s that — you’ve just gotta lead. And it’s the truth. Sometimes the coach has got to come out and tell you, “Hey, you guys are not leading right now. You’re overthinking everything. You guys are not making it easy for yourself. You guys, you’re not blah, blah, blah.”
Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo talks further on the reported meeting
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts during the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While some are wondering how Rivers and the Bucks will be in the playoffs, Antetokounnpo believes the meeting that was reported is the necessary step in getting the success they want. He would argue it's a normal development in the season and predicts that by this time next year, “nobody going to remember that we had the conversation.”
“At the end of the day, we are the players,” Antetokounmpo said. “We take responsibility, and we have to go out there and execute to the best of our ability. Take the direction from our coach and go try to execute it. That’s pretty much it. There is no, “He said that, (and) I said this.” Nobody cares, man. I promise you. Same time this year, same time next year, nobody’s going to remember that we had the conversation we had with coach Doc and what was out there. All I see is that we have to be better for our team, have to stay healthy and we have to go out there and win games. That’s all it is. That’s all it is. There’s no extra. There’s (nothing) more to it. We’ve just got to be better.”
At any rate, Milwaukee is now 40-31 which puts them fifth in the Eastern Conference as the team next faces the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.