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Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard
The NBA All-Star weekend and break are over. After a one-man wrecking crew performance by the Damian Lillard, it’s back to the regular season. Doc Rivers mentioned that it was a bigger mess than he thought and carries a 3-7 coaching record heading into the back end of the schedule.
Under Rivers’ tenure, the Bucks have maintained a style of play that is best termed, “erratically brilliant.” When they are on, such as the 120-84 victory Feb. 9 against the Charlotte Hornets, and the 112-95 game Feb. 13 against the Denver Nuggets, they resemble the champions from 2021.
When word of the train wreck hits town like the 123-97 loss to the Miami Heat Feb. 13, or the 113-110 heartbreaker Feb. 15 to the Memphis Grizzlies, it becomes a maddening situation. Consistent defense and scrambling to set up plays along the perimeter, when no one is ready, are still sideline chalkboard nightmares.
If no team played defense during the season, as exhibited at the All-Star game, Lillard would definitely shine and excel. The Eastern Conference piled in a record total in topping the Western Conference 211-186. This is what the fans want, they guess.
Lillard poured in 39 points in 27 minutes of play, and walked away with the game’s MVP trophy, while Giannis Antetokoounmpo strolled with 23 points, as the only two All-Star entries from the Bucks. Lillard also defended his three-point shooting title, beating out Tyrese Haliburton, Lauri Markkanen, Jalen Brunson, Malik Beasley, Donovan Mitchell, Keri- Anthony Towns, and Trae Young. He racked up 26 in the final round to best Young (24) and Towns (22), becoming the first back-to-back winner since Jason Kapono in 2007-2008.
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Wild Shooting
The wild shooting from beyond the arc and from down the street, most likely reinforced the reason why the Bucks traded for him. However, defense is not his strong suit, nor was it even an afterthought for this type of show case game.
What can Rivers do, inheriting the troublesome situation with the departure of Adrian Griffin? Rivers has also scratched his head over why Griffin was let go, with a 30-13 record. Despite his reticence in taking the job, the Grizzlies game before the break had to leave him scratching his head, even more.
After being tied 57-57 at the half, Memphis dumped in 37 points in the third quarter, seemingly scoring at will. The catch-up try in the last minutes was not enough. Memphis led by 9 points, when Milwaukee’s Malik Beasley drained a pair of three-pointers. The Bucks wobbled the last possession at mid-court, with a three-point toss by Lillard failing.
Antetokounmpo picked up his 43rd double-double (35 points, 12 assists). While Lillard added 24 points, backed up by Bobby Portis (15) and Brook Lopez (14), bringing all the horses together is going to be a tough nut to crack for Rivers.
The Bucks return to the Fiserv Forum to play the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday, Feb. 27.
