NBA legend Paul Pierce didn’t mince words in expressing his concern for the Milwaukee Bucks amid their title hopes this 2023-24 season.
For Pierce, after everything he has since from the Bucks since Doc Rivers took over, he’s just not convinced they have what it takes to win it all come the playoffs.
Paul Pierce’s Issue With Milwaukee Bucks
Speaking in the latest episode of the KG Certified podcast, Pierce shared his main issue about the Bucks amid their title chase: identity … or the lack thereof.
Pierce can see that the Bucks are still trying to figure out what they want to be with Rivers at the helm, and for him, that’s a recipe for disaster with the NBA playoffs coming right up.
The Bucks have shown flashes of brilliance, particularly on the defensive end, under Rivers. However, they seem to be unable to get it together consistently. In fact, they recently went on a four-game losing streak against the likes of the Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks.
Aside from the Knicks, the other three teams are not even in playoff contention. Sure enough, such ugly skid shouldn’t be happening to a contender, especially this late in the season.
“I’m more confident in the Knicks than them [Bucks]. They play with a grit, they got an identity. Miami, they got an identity. These are teams that are lower seeds than y’all, how are we talking about a number two team in the East and we don’t know what their identity is?” Pierce shared.
It’s hard to blame Pierce for his doubts about the Bucks, though. After all, Milwaukee has done little to raise hopes that they will be better in the postseason. Not to mention that with Giannis Antetokounmpo recently suffering a calf injury, it’s unknown if he’ll be even at 100 percent come the start of the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Playoff Seeding
The Milwaukee Bucks are currently the second seed in the East, but they could still end up falling to no. 4 depending on what happens in the final game of the regular season.
Milwaukee simply needs to win against the Orlando Magic in their regular-season finale to secure the top seed, but a loss would see them fall to the no. 3 or no. 4 seed should any of the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers win.
In any case, the Bucks could really use a morale-boosting win as they look to change their fortunes and turn things around in the NBA Playoffs.
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