Bucks Zone

"We have to learn from this" - Adrian Griffin on Milwaukee's 40-point loss to Cleveland

Coach Griff is hoping that his wards learned some lessons from their blowout loss to the Cavaliers.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks were dealt with a 40-point loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, 95-135.

The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for the Bucks, and coach Adrian Griffin is hoping that his players learned a thing or two from the one-sided loss.

"I just talked to the team after the game is, that we have to learn from this. You have to. We can't continue to make these types of mental errors when, especially, the start of the game," Griffin said.

Playing without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks faltered right from the opening tip.

A faulty start doomed the Bucks

Milwaukee scored just four points in the first 6:20 of the game. By the time they made their second field goal in the opening quarter, the Cavaliers had already scored 22, setting the stage for the lopsided affair.

"Start of the game was just again..again, we dug ourselves a hole, and this time, we couldn't get out of it," Griffin lamented.

Coach Griffin reminded the Bucks of the importance of executing well against one of the league's top defensive teams. Apparently, the reminder fell on deaf ears.

"That's what I was talking about before the game is that you come in here and you gotta execute. Very rarely did we play the second side. Very rarely did we play..did we go to our second, third option. We would just literally come down, shoot, or come down one shot, pass, shot, and it's not going to beat a team like Cleveland with the way they have their defense," Griffin said.

Milwaukee's offense was nowhere to be found

The Bucks sputtered offensively, going 38-for-95 for a dismal 40 percent shooting clip. The Cavaliers made 55 of their 93 attempts from the field for a high 59 percent shooting clip.

"We didn't execute on the offensive end. That's a very, very good defensive team, and when you play a team like this on the road; I thought it was just a lot of one pass, shot. Or just breaking off plays and we would get into the paint, or we'd leave our feet looking for fouls, or just our continuity, the rhythm of our offense was just non-existent," said Griffin, whose squad fell to 28-13.

Typifying Milwaukee's offensive struggle was the meager production of Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton. With Giannis out, Dame and Khris were expected to take over, but the two connived for just 19 points on a woeful 8-for-30 shooting night from the field.

"I'm rolling with him"- Adrian Griffin insists he will not hesitate to let Giannis Antetokounmpo take endgame free throws

Published
Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.