Doc Rivers calls out players in the midst of a 5-game losing streak

The start of the new NBA season for the Milwaukee Bucks wasn't exactly pretty. Milwaukee opened the year with a win, but has since lost five straight games in ugly fashion.

The Bucks' defense wasn't good and their offensive attack was pretty inconsistent. They have both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard healthy and on the court, so something different is going on.

After the recent heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, head coach Doc Rivers expressed his opinion on what is wrong with the team.

“I think her attitude is great. You saw how we came out. That's not the problem. We're not keeping the game going. We didn’t manage to last 48 minutes.”

The Bucks looked good in various outings this season, but it was difficult for them to find any level of consistency. Rivers can't do much, so it's up to the players on the field to figure out how to win games.

Lillard also commented on what went wrong at Milwaukee, emphasizing that other teams' benches hurt them.

“I think every team that hurt us, someone came off the bench and had an impact on the game,” Lillard said. “A guy came in and knocked down three 3-pointers when it was bleeding and we knocked them down and our energy was right. He comes in and says, 'Bang, bang, bang.'”

After being eliminated in the first round of the postseason, this 2024-25 season should be a year of redemption for the Bucks. They've had a full offseason and training camp together, but so far it hasn't made a difference.

Milwaukee has been playing without star forward Khris Middleton, but with both Lillard and Antetokounmpo healthy, they have no excuse. The Bucks are in danger of falling behind in the loaded Eastern Conference if they don't figure out how to turn things around.

The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and others are getting stronger.

If the Bucks fail to turn things around, there could be major changes to both the roster and coaching staff. Milwaukee has plenty of time to change the story of its season, but time is running out to figure something out.

They have the talent to execute, but they need to fully execute it on the floor.

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