The Milwaukee Bucks have been searching for rhythm, and the noise around the bench is only growing. But Giannis Antetokounmpo set the tone on Friday with a dominant outing in a narrow 122-121 win over the Charlotte Hornets. His last-second alley oop from Kevin Porter Jr. pass sealed it. But with a 15-20 record and calls mounting around Doc Rivers, Giannis wants his coach to give him more space.

Antetokounmpo has been suffering from calf issues, but on his return from an eight-game absence, he recorded 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one steal with over 30 minutes on the court. However, following the win, he told the reporters that the offense needed to be played through him more.

“I’ll be honest with you, I think the more I playmake, the more the ball is in my hands,” Antetokounmpo told reporters as per NBA Insider Eric Nehm.

“I’m not trying to say than when I have the ball, I’m trying to score, that’s not what I’m saying – what I am saying is that the gravity that I’m able to create with having the ball in my hands, it kind of allows my teammates to be open and put them in spots to be successful,” Antetokounmpo further added.

The Greek Freak also claimed that the Milwaukee Bucks have won 60-70% of the games whenever he has had seven or eight assists in a single outing.

Honestly, Giannis is not wrong as his playmaking in this Bucks roster is way better than anyone else, and his basketball IQ is equally good, allowing him to find his teammates in the right spots. This was his 158th career game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, moving him past Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most such performances in NBA history.

Despite the win and Giannis’ performances, the fans have simply gone berserk with Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who looked clueless in the fourth quarter against the Hornets. Many fans believe his time is up at Milwaukee.

Bucks fans demand Doc Rivers’ sacking despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s heroics

While it was a great moment for Giannis as he not only scored the game-winner but also made the plan that helped the Bucks secure a crucial win, the situation has attracted a lot of criticism from the Bucks fans as they are demanding head coach Doc Rivers’ dismissal.

There have been a lot of questions around the veteran coach, mainly because of the Bucks’ collapse this season. Once considered as strong contenders from the East, the Bucks have been languishing in the bottom half of the conference standings. While they can still salvage a play-in spot, they need a fantastic second half of the season to go beyond the ninth spot.

Rivers’s tactics have been extremely questionable this season, and the fact that he didn’t even draw the winning play irked the fans on social media. “Fire doc, go get Khris and we back,” a frustrated Bucks fan wrote on X. Khris Middleton has been a fan favorite for the Bucks during his time at Milwaukee. He averaged 20.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in the 2020-21 Championship-winning season with the Bucks.

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“Can yall officially fire Doc Rivers? He didn’t even draw up that winning play, fire this man already,” another user reacted. This comes after Kevin Porter Jr. revealed that it was Giannis who came up with the winning master plan, who even rejected Doc Rivers’ tactics, raising questions about his credentials as a head coach.

The Milwaukee Bucks are 18th in the NBA defensive rating this season, and that’s pretty poor given the Bucks were once known for their stingy defense. “You need to fire your stroke doc… and your criminal defense attorney. They have both failed you,” another passionate fan highlighted the issue on social media.

Ryan Rollins, who dropped a 29-point performance on the night and is making a case for the Most Improved Player award this season, is averaging 17.4 points from 31.6 minutes per game. Therefore, there have been criticisms around Rivers for not handing him more minutes despite his great returns.

“Doc Rivers is the #1 reason this team isn’t in the playoffs. Anyone with eyes can tell that Rollins should never play less than 37 min for this team,” another Bucks fan makes a strong point.

“Doc Rivers should no longer be the Bucks coach,” a Bucks fan hands his ultimatum to the veteran coach. Rivers has an underwhelming 76-71 record since taking over the Bucks in January 2024. He has struggled to properly assign minutes to this roster while also failing to address the defensive issues.

Kevin Porter Jr. shares Giannis Antetokounmpo’s masterplan as he rejected Doc Rivers’ play

Giannis Antetokounmpo is easily one of the best players in the league right now and showed all of his skills on Friday as he closed out an nerve wracking game with his tactical brain. His teammate, Kevin Porter Jr., revealed to the reporters after the win that Giannis had rejected head coach Doc Rivers‘ play.

He revealed everything that unfolded during the timeout in the team huddle. Giannis apparently saw Rivers chalk out a plan and went a completely different way, as he could sense the Hornets’ intentions. Eventually, that worked as he got the final dunk. It is a testament to his tactical brain and basketball IQ, which everyone often praises.

“Doc was drawing something up, Giannis had a feeling they were switching a lot. So he gave us that play, and we executed it. Great pace,” Kevin Porter Jr. revealed after the win.

Giannis’ play was basically Kevin Porter Jr reacting to the situation. He was given the responsibility of reading Miles Bridges’ movement. If he came up to him, he would have lobbed it to Giannis; otherwise, he would have tried his luck. Bridges came up to him, and Giannis got in behind with a brilliant game-winning dunk. It was a well-thought-out plan and was also extremely well executed.

This win and these moments could often act as a galvanizing point for the team and the players, something that the Milwaukee Bucks desperately need. Following the Greek Freak’s heroics, they have improved their record to 15-120 but still have a long way to go.