Bucks Zone

Coach Adrian Griffin reminds the streaking Milwaukee Bucks to stay focused

Griff wants the Bucks to keep pushing.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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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.”

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.