Doc Rivers blasts refs over Giannis Antetokounmpo’s officiating
On Monday night, The Milwaukee Bucks are back into the win column with a narrow victory over the Indiana Pacers thanks to the loss jumper by Giannis Antetokounmpo at the buzzer. While Antetokounmpo does most of his damage around the basket, he showed impressive softness on this shot, sliding it over multiple defenders and into the net to give the Bucks a 5-2 record on the season.
Much has been made in recent years about Antetokounmpo’s court treatment. While the former league MVP is perennially among the league’s top free throw attempters and also often gets away with ten-second fouls when he arrives, the head coach Doc Rivers still roaring for the judges to give the star even more calls.
“One of the refs even said, ‘Well, yeah, he’s getting hit on the hands, but he’s playing through it.’ I said, okay, it’s still a foul.’ … I just don’t think (Giannis’) way is right,” Rivers said in a recent press conference.
With players like Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O’Neal and other physically imposing forces, it’s sometimes impossible for referees to accurately gauge how much contact warrants a foul, as it takes much more to stop them compared to smaller and less strong players.
Hot start for the Bucks
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the surprise teams of the early NBA season, currently sitting at 5-2 after the first two weeks. Most expected Milwaukee to be a playoff team this year given the lack of talent surrounding Antetokounmpo on the roster; however, unexpected contributions from players like Ryan Rollins have helped the Bucks exceed expectations so far.
Of course, Antetokounmpo is still the undisputed head of the snake, and he’s had a better start to the season than anyone in the league this year, carrying Milwaukee on both ends of the floor.
The Bucks will next take the floor on Tuesday night for their second road matchup against the Toronto Raptors this early season.
2025-11-04 17:35:00
