© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Coach Adrian Griffin reminds the streaking Milwaukee Bucks to stay focused
Winning eight of their last nine games, the Milwaukee Bucks are certainly looking like legit title contenders after a so-so performance to start the season.
The Bucks have been in dominant form of late, putting up a string of wins that enabled them to climb atop the Eastern Conference standings with their 13-5 record.
Coach AG wants the team to get better
Milwaukee is tied with the Orlando Magic at second place in the East and is first in the Central Division.
Amid the sterling run, coach Adrian Griffin was quick to remind his wards to stay the course especially that the season is still in its early stages.
“I say this, now I'm like a broken record, but this is about growth. We’re only 20 games in or whatever. We need to stay focused on just getting better each day; we will look at the film, find ways to get better,” Griffin said after the 131-124 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Griffin was particularly pleased with the effort that the Bucks showed in the closing minutes against the Heat.
Showing up when it matters most
Slow starts may have been ailing the Bucks, but they have at least shown that they can deliver when needed the most.
“I think, just the urgency. The end of the game, your fourth quarter has to be your best quarter. The last five minutes of the game was critical. Obviously, I would love for that intensity to be more of a 48-minute game but to credit to the players that we’ve shown down the stretch that when we need to get stops, we get stops, when we need to execute on offense, we do so,” Griffin said.
Against the Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and Damian Lillard had 32 points. Khris Middleton also showed his veteran leadership in the win, scoring four crucial points and issuing a critical assist that sealed the victory and the Bucks trip to the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.
“The one thing that we do have going for us is we know how to win the game,” Lillard said. “We know how to do the things to win a game.”
