Head coach Doc Rivers takes the blame as the Milwaukee Bucks hit an embarrassingly bad three-game losing streak with the NBA Playoffs on the horizon.
As one of the most polarizing teams in the league this season, the Milwaukee Bucks are preparing for what could be one of the most important playoff runs in quite some time for the franchise. There's an expectation that if the Bucks don't at least make the conference finals this season will be viewed as a huge failure. To add intrigue to it all, with the way the Bucks have been playing of late, there's no guarantee they'll even make it that far.
But after the acquisition of Damian Lillard during the offseason, the Bucks can't afford mediocrity heading into the postseason. This is a team that is all-in on winning a championship in the next couple of seasons and if they don't, there could be huge future repercussions. Unfortunately for the Bucks, this isn't a team that is going to be playing at its best heading into the postseason. In fact, it wouldn't be outlandish to suggest that the Bucks are essentially backing into the playoffs this season.
And as the Bucks struggle against inferior competition, head coach Doc Rivers continues to take all the blame.
Doc Rivers, on the Bucks losing five of the last six:
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 6, 2024
"The last three were against three bad teams. To me, that's inexcusable. For all of us. As I told them, this is on me. I gotta figure out what we gotta do to play at a higher pace."
Can the Milwaukee Bucks turn it on in the NBA Playoffs?
With one week remaining in the regular season, the Bucks have lost nine of their last 15 games. They're 1-5 in the last two weeks and recently lost back-to-back-to-back games against three of the worst teams in the league - Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and Toronto Raptors.
Rivers can continue to take all the blame but at some point, the players need to step up in a way that proves this team can turn things around heading into the NBA Playoffs. For as flawed as a head coach as Doc Rivers is, this is a Bucks team that was struggling long before Rivers was hired a few months ago. Dating back to when even Adrian Griffin was the head coach the begin the season, tbe Bucks were already showing warning signs of trouble.
Even though the Bucks will end the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, this is a team that has still left much to be desired. Milwaukee can salvage its season with a strong showing in the NBA Playoffs. However, with the way the team has played of late, that may not be realistic at this point.