SPORTS LINE
The Bucks are off to their worst start since 2013-14, Antetokounmpo’s rookie season.
Winning only one of their first seven games put the Bucks in a hole only a few teams have successfully climbed out of. Over the past 25 seasons, only three teams have started 1-6 or worse and made the playoffs. “We will make the playoffs,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after Monday’s loss in Cleveland. “I’m not worried about that.” Will they make the playoffs? Will Antetokounmpo stay loyal to Milwaukee? Simply making the playoffs is not the goal for a Bucks team that is four seasons removed from winning a championship. Everyone has high expectations for this team.
Not making it to the championship is simply not an option. Antetokounmpo’s presence led the Bucks to push in all of their remaining assets to trade for Lillard last September, after they’d fired their championship coach, Mike Budenholzer, despite a season in which he had the best record in the NBA. They then fired Budenholzer’s replacement, Adrian Griffin, despite him leading Milwaukee to a 30-13 start last season, because they believed another coach was better suited to help them reach their championship ceiling. Instead, the Bucks dropped to 18-25 since Rivers took over at the end of January.
They are currently ranked in the bottom half of the league in both offensive efficiency (18th) and defensive efficiency (19th), per NBA.com. What were they thinking? How are they going to bring home the championship? Hopefully someone has some magic up their sleeves. Milwaukee’s slow start does not doom their season and internally the Bucks say they are taking steps toward a turnaround. Three-time All-Star Khris Middleton has not played in a game this season and the Bucks are optimistic his presence will help cure some of the team’s ills. The Bucks have few options other than trusting things will get better.
The Packers.
Green Bay got handed a piece of its own butt by the Lions last week with a score of 24-14, but the game wasn’t that close. Coming off a loss to the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers had a bye in Week 10 of the NFL season. The Packers’ next game is at noon on Nov. 17 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. At 6-3, the Packers are in third place in the NFC North, behind Detroit (7-1) and Minnesota (6-2). Jordan Love’s ability to produce big plays while avoiding turnovers earned him a $220 million contract extension after leading the Green Bay Packers on a surprising playoff push in his first season as a starter.
Green Bay will struggle to make a deeper postseason run this year unless Love stops throwing the ball to the other team. Love led Green Bay’s late-season charge last year by throwing 21 touchdown passes with only one interception in a nine-game stretch that included a 48-32 wild-card upset of Dallas. Love was picked off twice in the second half of a 24-21 playoff loss at San Francisco. The Packers showed their faith in Love by giving him a four-year contract extension this summer. Love’s still producing big plays this year but it’s not enough. He finished the 2023 regular season with 32 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions out of 579 passes. So far this year, he has had 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in only 240 attempts.
The Packers still believe in Love. He has shown his big-play ability by averaging 12.4 yards per completion to rank fourth in the league. He’s throwing for 260 yards per game to rank fifth. Packers coach Matt LaFleur appreciates Love’s aggressiveness but acknowledged the 26-year-old must factor in the game situation to know when to push the envelope and when to remain cautious. Love will try to make another late surge by remembering his principles.
