Bucks Zone

Doc reveals the Milwaukee Bucks had a rough film session after the Timberwolves loss

"I can tell you that our talk after the next morning was not one of the better mornings.”
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks apparently felt the heat when they absorbed a third-straight debacle following a 105-129 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Coach Doc Rivers disclosed that the Bucks had an animated film session the next day after their blowout loss to the Wolves.

“The other night..after the Minnesota game, film wasn't fun. I can tell you that our talk after the next morning was not one of the better mornings,” Rivers said.

No-holds-barred film session

Coaches and players apparently didn’t mince words when they tackled what they had to do when the blowout loss to the Wolves pulled them down to 1-5 under Rivers.

“It wasn't like I was Bobby Knight. I mean. I was just being honest, and you know, they want you to be honest and be held accountable,” Doc said.

The rough team practice worked wonders as the Bucks responded with a 120-84 routing of the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Rivers said it was the best defensive effort he had seen from the Bucks as he finally got his first home game win as a Milwaukee coach.

“You can see the energy the next night defensively. It was probably our best defensive night of the year. I think we got over 80 percent of all pick-and-roll screens. The night before, we got over five percent. That's a hell of a jump. You can't allow yourself to keep getting picked all night, and that's more us than them,” Rivers said.

Buying into Doc’s system

Transforming the Bucks into a better defensive team was Rivers’ main goal when he was brought in to replace Adrian Griffin. Doc said that the Bucks are still a work in progress defensively, but they at least have embraced the challenge.

“They don't have it yet, but they've completely bought into it. They love what we're trying to do,” said Rivers.

One thing that makes Rivers ecstatic is the willingness of the Bucks to be coached and play hard, especially on the defensive side of the floor.

Against the Hornets, Rivers said some players even asked to be subbed out due to exhaustion as a result of playing harder on defense. Milwaukee is just 2-5 under Doc, but with the character the Bucks are showing, the veteran coach is confident they can turn things around.

“It's an interesting group. Very…keep using the word grownups…they want to be coached, they want to be told,” Rivers said.

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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.