Shaq predicts first-round playoff exit for faltering Bucks
The week leading up to the All-Star weekend offered the perfect microcosm of the Bucks' up-and-down season. On Monday, the Bucks blew out the defending champions Nuggets, only to turn around and lose to a Jimmy Butler-less Heat the next night. Finally, on Thursday, they lost to a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart.
To put things in perspective, Memphis' 9-man rotation -- which featured a bunch of G-Leaguers and players on 10-day contracts -- had aggregated a total of 5,668 points as of Thursday. In comparison, the Bucks had three players with over 15,000 career points.
The devastating loss invoked the wrath of coach Doc Rivers, who called out his team's lack of effort to the point where he suggested "We had some guys in Cabo" instead of being present on the court.
Elsewhere, Shaquille O'Neal had a rather extreme take on Milwaukee's ongoing struggles.
"When you’re not playing well, you want to end the All-Star break on a positive note," Shaq said on "Inside the NBA" on TNT. "They were supposed to come and smash this team. They had trouble with their defense -- no timely stops, no effort.
"It’s a championship team on paper but they're nowhere near a championship. The way they're playing right now, they're gonna get swept in the first round."
Ironically, the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard after suffering a first-round exit in last year's playoffs , albeit with Giannis Antetokounmpo dealing with a lower back contusion. If the Bucks flame out of the first round again, would they break up the Lillard-Giannis experiment after just a year?
For those keeping count, the Bucks are 3-7 since Rivers took over as head coach. They were 30-13 under dismissed head coach, Adrian Griffin.
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