Bucks preach endurance after Nuggets spoil Doc Rivers’ debut

DENVER — Earlier than Doc Rivers took the sideline for his first sport as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night time in Denver, he was already emphasizing the necessity for endurance.

For the primary time in his 25-year teaching profession, Rivers is taking up a crew midseason, a problem he stated “he would not want on anyone.” In the meantime, the Bucks are adjusting to a completely new voice within the huddle after first-year coach Adrian Griffin was changed by Rivers.

“It may take a minute,” Rivers stated previous to Monday’s 113-107 loss to the Nuggets. “What I am attempting to do actually slowly is put in a few of my stuff and simplify a few of their stuff.

“One factor you do not need to do and we’re so scared of doing it’s paralyzing their mind and now they’re pondering it. So it is simply going to take some time.”

Denver spoiled Rivers’ Bucks teaching debut with a loss, dropping him to 1-4 in his profession in his first sport with a brand new crew, however the Bucks have been nonetheless inspired by one among their most impressed defensive efforts of the season.

They held the Nuggets, one of many league’s most prolific offenses, to 113 factors, forcing two-time MVP Nikola Jokic to take 25 photographs to attain 25 factors — though he nonetheless completed with a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 12 assists. Jamal Murray added 35 factors.

However it was an enchancment from a Bucks crew that ranks twenty fourth within the league in defensive effectivity, prompting Rivers to joke that the “cat was out of the bag” now that the Bucks have proved they’ll play protection.

“I instructed our guys, anybody who instructed you you could not play protection lied,” Rivers stated after the sport. “You proved that tonight. You competed tonight. … Our half-court protection was wonderful. I feel tonight was an offensive loss. I did not suppose we have been crisp offensively.

“Dame and Giannis have performed 40 video games collectively of their life, Joker and Murray have performed — you realize? And in the event you seemed on the sport tonight, that they had it going, our guys could not get it going and that was the distinction.”

Damian Lillard completed with 18 factors on 5-of-13 taking pictures, and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 29 factors and 12 rebounds. Antetokounmpo was proud of the best way the Bucks performed of their first sport underneath Rivers stated the training course of will take time.

“He was nice,” Antetokounmpo stated about Rivers. “All people has to have endurance. It is new — the best way we play, the best way we defend, it is going to take some time to get used to. We’re slowly, slowly adjusting, altering a pair stuff. Teaching employees obtained to have endurance with the gamers. Gamers obtained to have endurance with the teaching employees, however I really feel like for the primary sport, it was good.”

The improved depth on protection was a direct signal to Antetokounmpo of how the gamers responded underneath Rivers.

“On the finish of the day, the sport plan is one factor, however our effort [has] all the time obtained to be there,” he stated. “Now we have very, very good gamers on the crew and generally when the sport plan just isn’t as correct, generally our effort may not be there and that is not good.

“We can not simply decide and select. Like, so as so that you can win, it’s important to do it on a regular basis. There’s going to be occasions that you simply lose video games, however so as so that you can win at a excessive stage, there’s obtained to be an ordinary. And at the moment, I feel we set the usual as a crew.”

Rivers takes over the Bucks within the midst of a five-game, nine-day highway journey, an opportunity to get acquainted together with his new crew away from dwelling. He envisions longer shootarounds and perhaps a couple of extra additional observe days than standard to assist the gamers rise up to hurry on changes he needs them to make.

With 35 video games remaining on the Bucks’ schedule earlier than the playoffs, Rivers takes the reins understanding all of it cannot be solved in a day. However the refined tweaks with an skilled chief on the helm have already got Bucks gamers shopping for into the method.

“I believed there was only a nice sense of composure, calmness,” Bucks heart Brook Lopez stated about Rivers’ debut as their coach. “Nothing too excessive or too low. I imply that in one of the best ways potential. He dealt with the whole lot nice. He did a superb job ensuring everybody was clear on their accountability, what to do defensively, what to do offensively, and there weren’t any actual hiccups.

“He did a superb job ensuring everybody was on the identical web page just about from the get-go.”