"They Were The Aggressor:" Cavs On What Went Wrong Against Bucks

The Cleveland Cavaliers talk about what improvements they need to make after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers struggled against the Milwaukee Bucks in Wednesday's 116-126 loss. Cleveland's eight-game winning streak comes to an end as they fail to beat the Eastern Conference powerhouse.

What went wrong in this one? The Cavs reflected on where they could have played better following the loss and one thing that sticks out when listening to a number of the members of the team talk is the physicality they let the Bucks play with. 

"They were just more physical than us the whole game," said Max Strus following the loss. "They beat us up on the offensive glass a couple of late possessions where we've got to come up with those rebounds and end the possession." 

For Strus, the battle between these two teams was happening down low. "We just have to protect the paint. They just went by us the whole night. We let them do what they wanted to do."

J.B. Bickerstaff noted that "It felt like they were the aggressor, they were attacking" while the Cavs got off to a slow start on both sides of the floor.

Cleveland's head coach also wants to see his team do a better job of the one-on-one matchups with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who recorded a triple-double against the Cavs.

Jan 24, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports / © Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Jarrett Allen felt the team was always "two steps behind" Milwaukee and couldn’t get the upper hand. This was on display toward the end of the game when the Cavs were inching closer to taking the lead. 

Cleveland did cut the Bucks' lead down to six points in the final four minutes of the game. However, they weren't able to get that one or two crucial stops on defense to give them a chance.

It's important that the Cavs take what they said to heart and execute these adjustments. They have another chance at beating this same Bucks team on Friday night