Travel back in time once. This was game 1 of the first-round playoff series last season. The Bucks led 1-0. The Pacers were quick to come back in game 2 and got the better of the short-handed Bucks, ending their run with a 4-2 win. Fast forward to 2025. On Saturday, the Milwaukee Bucks entered the Grainbridge Fieldhouse to face the Indiana Pacers. Fearless and confident of their 8 win streak, the East’s 5th-seed came for revenge. So, the fans were hoping for a change tonight with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge. Despite missing their starting point guard, Damian Lillard, many believed that Milwaukee would be more than enough to overcome the challenge this time around. However, they couldn’t have been more wrong. The Bucks were blown away by the Pacers as Indiana secured a 1-0 lead in the series with a 117-98 victory.

While you might think the Pacers were too hot to handle, it was the other way around. Milwaukee struggled big time on Saturday afternoon, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo found himself in a slump. Despite that, he tried to carry his team, contributing a team-high 36 points along with 12 rebounds and a single assist. You could say that the Greek Freak was the only bright spot for Milwaukee, as his teammates were awful. Most notably, forward Kyle Kuzma registered a 0/0/0 statline in 22 minutes of action. Of course, this terrible performance from Milwaukee raised a lot of eyebrows. Now, the majority of fans are demanding a change as they gear up for game two of this series.

Indeed, it was a disappointing performance from Giannis’ supporting crew. In fact, they did not support the Milwaukee forward at all. It wasn’t until the team’s rotation players, such as AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Bobby Portis Jr., showed up that the Bucks looked respectable. While you might think that this poor performance of Milwaukee’s starting five would lead to a few tweaks when the teams go head-to-head once again, Doc Rivers doesn’t agree. “I don’t know, you look at their plus minus is pretty good, you know, you look at the starters plus minus, so you know it’s one game, you know, and we’ve had a week off, so no I don’t I think sometimes you stick with your group.” Rivers stated.

Well, all five starters, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, registered a negative plus-minus. Kyle Kuzma had the worst plus-minus amongst the starters as he registered a -24 for his terrible outing. Meanwhile, Giannis had a -18, the same as veteran center Brook Lopez. So, it’s hard to agree with Rivers’ words. He also pointed out that the team might’ve been a little rusty from a week-long holiday. That’s hardly an excuse, as both teams had the same time off. Overall, it’s crystal clear that Doc Rivers needs to make a few crucial changes before the next matchup between the two teams. Even Milwaukee’s franchise player agrees with the thought, as he acknowledged the significant role of the team’s second unit in closing the deficit in the team’s loss.

Giannis doesn’t agree with Doc Rivers’ “stick with your group” strategy

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the lone warrior for the Bucks in their defeat to the Pacers last night. The Milwaukee superstar had to do all the heavy lifting as his teammates failed to provide any real support. While Kyle Kuzma’s zero stat line stood out the most, the other starters were equally terrible. Other than Giannis, the rest of the starters combined for just a mere 14 points, with Kuzma and Taurean Prince going scoreless. How bad was it? Well, the Bucks allowed the Pacers to score 51.2 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc. That might give you a fair idea of their nonexistent defense.

Well, their offense wasn’t up to the mark either. Milwaukee’s offense, on the other hand, only managed to score 41.7 percent from the field and a mere 24.3 percent from deep. Of course, this led to Giannis Antetokounmpo being a bit disappointed and disagreeing with HC Doc Rivers’ “stick with your group” strategy. “I feel like that group plays good basketball. That group is more decisive, space the floor well, bunch of shooters, GT (Gary Trent Jr.), Bobby (Portis), Scoot (Kevin Porter Jr.), AJ (Green). I think it’s in that group that chemistry is really good. So at times you just got to you know if it’s working, we got back to like 11. If it’s working, you’ve got to go with it.” Antetokounmpo stated after the tough loss.

“You know, guys were playing good. I really defended better. We’re able to rebound the ball without better, so sometimes it’s going to be 12 minutes, sometimes going to be 18 minutes, sometimes it’s going to be 6 minutes. We just got to go with whatever’s working at the time, and that group allowed us to come back to the game.” Giannis’ idea contradicted the head coach. He wanted the team to play according to the game’s demands and not just because of their previous history. Indeed, Milwaukee looked like a much better team with the likes of Bobby Portis, AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. They helped Giannis reduce the deficit. So, by the looks of it, Doc Rivers should make the call according to the game instead of being fixated as they gear up for game 2.

But will Rivers listen to Giannis’ suggestion? That remains to be seen as we watch closely.