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"This is the first night in a long time that we just didn't play together" - Doc Rivers after Warriors loss
To many, allowing the opposing team to rack up 125 points may sound like a huge defensive issue—and to a certain extent, it is—but Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers insists that their 125-90 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday was a result of their poor offense.
Failed to play together
The Bucks' defense has been the talk of the town recently, limiting four of their last six opponents to under 100 points. However, it faltered on Wednesday, allowing Golden State to run amok and score 78 in the first 24 minutes of action. However, for all of Milwaukee's defensive issues against the Warriors, Doc asserted that their offense was more of a mess.
"This is gonna sound like a little shock to you, but I really didn't think this was our defense. I thought it was our offense," Rivers said.
"I didn't think we played solid offense all night. They have 21 points off of our turnovers. They had 15 blocked shots. So they were in transition or in offense the whole game due to our bad offense tonight. This is the first night in a long time where we just didn't play together, didn't move the ball."
Too many bad possessions
Rivers added that the Bucks had too many bad possessions to overcome, especially against an explosive team like the Warriors. One bad shot can lead to a transition dunk or a fastbreak three-pointer for the Warriors, and the Bucks couldn't afford to give them those opportunities.
But the Bucks' problems went beyond turnovers. Their offense was stagnant and lacked movement, making it easier for the Warriors to defend.
"We forced actions. So, I thought it was more of that. We had a lot of defensive breakdowns for sure, but a lot of them were in transition where we weren't matched up because our floor balance was so bad tonight. We took so many bad shots. We had too many bad possessions that when we got back, we were never matched up, and they took advantage of it," Rivers shared.
