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Damian Lillard Open To Blazers Return

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Damian Lillard has revealed that he would be open to returning to the Portland Trail Blazers in the future. “Because of how I feel about Portland. How I feel about the organization here and my time that I spent here, in my mind I’ve always felt like that’s how my career would end. Right now, I’m just in a space of like, this is where I am now. I’m in Milwaukee. I wanted the opportunity to contend, and our team has an opportunity to contend for this year and years to come. And I’m just living in that. But I definitely, when I was traded, I see a day where I’ll be in a Trail Blazer uniform again before I’m done,” Lillard said. Lillard and the Bucks were playing their first game in Portland since acquiring Lillard in the biggest trade of the offseason.

However, despite giving Lillard a one-minute standing ovation when he was announced, the Blazers did not go easy on the Bucks. Lillard had 25 points but a last-second floater from Afernee Simmons sealed a 119-116 victory for the home team. The loss meant the Bucks have now lost three of their last four. It’s has not been an ideal start to the tenure of Doc Rivers, who was seen as a better championship coaching option to ousted first-year head coach Adrian Griffin.

Read More: Shaq Didn’t Know About Damian Lillard Involvement On “Shaq & Kobe”

Damian Lillard Respects Tyrese Haliburton’s “Dame Time” Celebration

Meanwhile, Lillard has had plenty to say while adjusting to life in the Eastern Conference. In December, he said he had no issue with the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton copping his signature “Dame Time” celebration. “I learned as a kid, when you dish it out, you’ve got to be willing to take it. For as many times as I’ve done it to people, I can’t be upset when somebody else does it. You know what I mean,” Lillard said.

“I think that’s also a sign of respect and acknowledgment for knowing my history and knowing what I do. I didn’t mind it. It was what it was. I’ve also known that, you know, when you are having your moment, it’s important to be careful. Be humble in your moments because you just never know how the tables are going to turn or when they are going to turn. I respected it. We shook hands after the game. I wasn’t moved by it left or right,” he continued.

Read More: Giannis Antetokounmpo & Damian Lillard Will Have No Problem Sharing The Ball, Bucks Star Claims

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Bucks In High Spirits After Doc Rivers Hire, Stars Surprised By Coaching Change

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The Milwaukee Bucks appeared in high spirits ahead of their Wednesday night game against Cleveland. The team’s official social media account posted a pre-game video of the players joyfully dancing together on the court. This is in spite of the shock firing of first-year head coach Adrian Griffin earlier this week. Griffin was let go despite coaching the team to a 30-13 record, primarily over concerns about the team’s defensive efficiency.

In his place, the team hired Doc Rivers, poaching the veteran coach from ESPN. Rivers was the Bucks’ primary choice given his experience, availability, and history of coaching superstar tandems. Furthermore, Rivers has a strong history in Wisconsin. His jersey hangs in the rafters at Marquette University, where he was an All-American. Rivers’ first game with the team has not yet been confirmed.

Read More: Luka Doncic Gets Fan Ejected, Feuds With “ESPN” Reporter For Coverage Of It

Bucks Stars Surprised By Coaching Change But Embracing It

Meanwhile, the Bucks’ star players were understandably surprised by the sudden coaching change. “I’ve got to trust the front office, I’ve got to trust the ownership group that they consider the bigger picture. My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and help win games. Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible that they believe gives us a better chance to win a championship. But yeah, I do think [firing coach Griffin] was a surprise,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said after beating the Bucks.

Furthermore, Damian Lillard, whom Griffin acquired at the cost of defensive powerhouse Jrue Holliday, agreed with the sentiment. “There’s been a lot of expectations on our team. Things have been expected to look a certain way. We’ve had a bumpy road to our success, which is sometimes a part of the process. I was surprised. But it’s part of the game. People get traded, people get waived, people get fired, and that’s never something you want to see,” Lillard noted.

Read More: Draymond Green Missing From Initial Team USA Olympic Pool, Execs Explain Why

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SOURCE SPORTS: Doc Rivers Named Head Coach of Milwaukee Bucks

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SOURCE SPORTS: Doc Rivers Fired by Philadelphia 76ers

Doc Rivers is officially the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Rivers took the position less than 24 hours after the Bucks fired former coach Adrian Griffin.

Rivers comes to the Bucks literally off the sidelines, as he was calling games on ESPN with Mike Breen and Doris Burke.

According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Rivers was picked due to his history with tandems, as the Bucks have Giannis Antentokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Most recently, Rivers coached Joel Embiid and James Harden for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Rivers was also an All-American guard for Marquette University, with his retired jersey already hanging in the Bucks’ home arena rafters.

“We wish Doc well and we look forward to documenting the next chapter of his coaching career. We have a deep roster of supremely talented commentators who will continue to serve NBA fans with tremendous skill, passion and expertise,” David Roberts, ESPN’s head of event and studio production, said in a statement.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo He Can’t Stop Thinking About Losing To The Pacers, Even During Sex

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Giannis Antetokounmpo made some hilarious comments after he was asked how he felt about 40% of the Bucks’ losses this season coming against the Pacers. “You think about it. When you go home and sleep and wake up, you think about it. When you go back and work out, you think about it….When you’re about to get freaky at night, you think about it,” Giannis said. Giannis and longtime partner Mariah Riddlespringer, who have three children together, revealed they were engaged in September 2023.

The Pacers have beaten the Bucks four times this season, including in back-to-back games on January 1 and January 3. However, the Bucks, whose one win against Indiana devolved into a post-game brawl, will not have any chance for revenge until the playoffs. There are no more scheduled games between the two teams for the rest of the season. Furthermore, at the time of writing, the Bucks are the second seed while the Pacers are the fifth seed.

Read More: Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls Victor Wembanyama “Special” After First Matchup

Giannis Leads Early All-Star Voting

Meanwhile, Giannis was the overall top vote-getter in early returns for All-Star Voting. LeBron James and Giannis have both surpassed two million votes in the first round of public all-star voting. Meanwhile – Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton all broke the one million vote mark. Next month’s game, which will be held in Indianapolis, will also return to the old East v West matchup format. The return to the traditional method of team selection replaces the recently used Captain’s Draft method. Giannis and LeBron were both captains last year, with Giannis’ team winning a high-scoring game in Salt Lake City.

Additionally, if selected, LeBron will become the NBA’s all-time All-Star leader with 20 selections. He is currently tied for 19 selections with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James Harden, who started the season benched by the Sixers, is currently in fourth place in Western Conference backcourt voting. Voting runs through January 20, with the next voting update released on January 11. Who do you want to make the All-Star Game? Let us know in the comments.

Read More: LeBron James Gives Every Lakers Teammate Personalized Greeting In Pre-Game Ritual

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Giannis Antetokounmpo Feuds With Pacers After They Take Game Ball From His Record-Breaking Night

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Tensions flared between Giannis Antetokounmpo and members of the Indiana Pacers after the Pacers seemingly took the game ball from Giannis’ record-breaking night. A scuffle ensued in the corridor outside the visitors’ locker room as Giannis confronted Tyrese Haliburton amongst others. This led to two versions of events. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said the team took the ball to mark Oscar Tshiebwe’s first career points. Meanwhile, Giannis said he went looking for the ball to mark Damian Lillard moving into fifth place on the career three-pointers list. However, both Giannis and Carlisle agreed that the confrontation was “unfortunate”.

The backstage confrontation soured a historic night in Milwaukee. Giannis scored 64 points, setting a new franchise record and career high for the Greek star. The previous Bucks benchmark was 57, set by Michael Redd in 2006. Meanwhile, Giannis’ previous career high was 55 earlier this year. “He’s an unstoppable player. You can’t guard him one-on-one. You’ve got some really good guys surrounding him, but at the end of the day, it’s all him. His talent. His ability. His will. He has an incredible will to win, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win,” first-year Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said.

Read More: Giannis Antetokounmpo Sits With Fans Following Ejection

Draymond Green Suspended

However, tension wasn’t only felt in Milwaukee. Draymond Green has been “suspended indefinitely” by the NBA after being ejected against the Suns earlier this week. Per the NBA’s statement on the decision, the suspension “takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.” Furthermore, “He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the league added. Green received his 18th career ejection, and third of the season, for striking the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkić in the face with a spinning backhand early in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game.

While Green did apologize for the incident, the NBA has chosen to come down hard on the veteran. The Warriors will meet with Green and his agent, Rich Paul, to devise a rehabilitative program to help Green return to the court. Furthermore, a source told ESPN that the Warriors had “lost their leverage for disciplining” Green after not adequately punishing him after he punched Jordan Poole last season. However, sources also told the outlet that Green is open to getting “whatever help he needs” to “overcome the challenges he is facing.”

Read More: Draymond Green Believes The NBA Needs To Go Easy On Him

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Bucks Coach Downplays Heated Exchange With Giannis Antetokounmpo

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Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin has downplayed any notion of friction between him and Giannis Antetokounmpo after the two had a heated sideline exchange. “He wanted to stay in, I wanted to give him a breather. That’s all it was. And then I told him to stay at the table for one possession, and he got right back out there,” Griffin said after the game. Meanwhile, Giannis simply said “no” when asked to give an explanation of the exchange.

Giannis had a 21-point double-double in the three-point loss to Boston. While the Celtics led whistle to whistle, they allowed the Bucks to rally from a nearly 20-point deficit to lose by three. It’s been a common theme for the 12-3 Celtics – taking their foot off the gas just a few minutes too early and risking snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. With the loss, the Bucks fell to 10-5 on the season. However, they still comfortably lead their division.

Read More: Chris Paul Ejection Deepens Beef With Veteran Ref

Holiday Rematches The Bucks

Furthermore, Wednesday’s game marked Jrue Holiday’s first game against his old team. While he did not speak with reporters after the win, Holiday did speak on his offseason trade during warmups. “A warning would’ve been cool. But other than that, I’m in the best place that I can be to compete against them, which is for the top team in the East and, hopefully, the top team in the league,” Holiday said of the surprise trade. However, he clarified that he didn’t hold any sort of grudge towards his former team. “I think that they got what they wanted, so I can’t be mad at that,” he added.

However, Holiday was fairly quiet in the game, dropping just 5 points and 8 rebounds. It marks his lowest points output of the season and the second time in three games he has failed to hit double digits in any statistical category. Up next for the Bucks is a game against the Wizards on Friday. Meanwhile, Boston face the Magic on the same day.

Read More: Josh Giddey Accused Of Having Sexual Relationship With A Minor

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Giannis Antetokounmpo Sits With Fans Following Ejection

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Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo did not return to the Bucks bench or locker room after being ejected against the Pistons. Instead, Giannis briefly sat amongst fans in the courtside seats while gesturing at the refs to continue the game. Eventually, Giannis was compelled to leave for the locker room after the refs threatened more reprimands against him.

Giannis’ protest was a result of his ejection being fairly controversial. Giannis picked up his second technical after staring down the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart after throwing down a dunk over him. The refs didn’t like this and whistled Giannis for his second tech of the game. A disbelieving Giannis tried to reason with the refs but the whistle had already been blown and the officiating team wanted Giannis out of the game. Giannis had 15 points and 9 rebounds at the time of his ejection. Furthermore, the Bucks held on for a 120-118 win.

Read More: Rockets Blow Out Lakers After LeBron James And Dillon Brooks Speak On Beef

How Is The Giannis-Dame Experiment Going?

The win over the Pistons puts the Bucks at 5-2 on the season and riding a three-game win streak. As for how the team is adjusting to the superstar tandem of Giannis and Damian Lillard, things couldn’t be going better. Just 0.1 ppg separates the two players’ scoring output, meaning that combined they average 48.7 points per game. Meanwhile, they have settled into their separate niches. Giannis is the rebounding, leading the team with nine boards a game. Meanwhile, Lillard is the playmaker, leading the team with 4.7 assists per game.

However, the Bucks are now very dependent on their tandem. Losing Jrue Holiday cost the Bucks a lot of defense, which can be seen in how their biggest margin of victory this season so far is just eight points. Meanwhile, when they lose – they lose hard. Their two losses this season have been 17- and 19-point blowouts to the Knicks and Raptors. Furthermore, their win over the Pistons came despite a major Pistons comeback attempt after Giannis was knocked out of the game. It remains to be seen if the powerhouse can continue powering for the entirety of the season.

Read More: Terry Stotts, Damian Lillard’s Former Head Coach, Resigns As Bucks Assistant

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Damian Lillard & Giannis Antetokounmpo Begin Bucks Partnership With Win

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Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined for 62 points as the Bucks opened their NBA campaign with a 118-117 win over Philadelphia. Giannis added 13 rebounds while Lillard added eight of his own. However, the Dame-Giannis tandem was really the only thing the Bucks had going for them on opening night. Only two other Bucks, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, reached double-digit points. However, the game showed the potency of what the newly formed partnership could achieve.

Meanwhile, the Sixers will be kicking themselves not to come away with a win. Four players surpassed 20 points, with Tyrese Maxey leading the team with 31. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid added 24, while Tobias Harris put up 20. The Sixers also got 27 from Kelly Oubre Jr., who played 32 minutes off the bench. However, the game was overshadowed by the absence of James Harden. Earlier in the day, it had been reported that Harden had tried to board the team flight to Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon. It’s another kick in the teeth to team harmony, especially with the news that the Clippers will no longer pursue a trade for Harden.

Read More: Victor Wembanyama Impresses In NBA Debut

Dame & Giannis Shine But Concerns Remain

There is a lot to say about the debut of the Dame-Giannis tandem. The pair put up 62 points. However, did the Bucks sell the farm for the sake of a new tractor? New head coach Adrian Griffin played a short bench despite struggles across the board beyond the superstar tandem. Khris Middleton had six points in 19 minutes as he rehabs from injury. Malik Beasley had 5 points and 4 defensive rebounds in 31 minutes.

Next up for Milwaukee is Atlanta, a playoff hopeful who dropped their season opener to Charlotte. Meanwhile, the Sixers are headed to Toronto to face the rebuilding Raptors. It will serve as a rematch for new head coach Nick Nurse, who was fired by Toronto during the offseason. Hopefully, they can find a win before they return to Philly for their home opener against Portland, and a reunion with the waiting Harden.

Read More: Rich Paul Claims He Would Be One Of The Best Shooters In The NBA, Compares Himself To Steph Curry

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James Harden Returns To Sixers Practice

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James Harden has reportedly returned to Sixers practice after missing several days last week. The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski at ESPN. The Sixers fly to Milwaukee later today ahead of their season opener tomorrow. It’s unclear if Harden will be included on the team sheet for that game. Harden missed practices throughout the back end of last week, with the team reporting that no reason had been given for the absence. However, by the end of the week, the team had stated that Harden was away attending to a personal matter.

The missing of practice is something that experts have been surprised hasn’t happened sooner with Harden. The veteran has something of a reputation for being disruptive during offseason activities when he is trying to force a trade. However, it is believed that rumors of renewed discussions between the Sixers and Clippers compelled Harden to put in a few weeks of good behavior.

Read More: Ime Udoka Says Fred VanVleet Was A “Better Fit” Than James Harden For Rockets

Harden’s Status For Opener Unclear

As mentioned, the Sixers start their season in Milwaukee tomorrow, a daunting prospect now that Damian Lillard is on the team. However, it’s unclear what Harden’s role in that game will be. For the Sixers, it’s a choice between whether they want to play hardball. Either they can play him and seemingly acquiesce to his behavior. Or they can ground him and intentionally weaken their already shaky lineup.

As for Harden, he has made it very clear that his relationship with the team front office is beyond repair. “This is not even about this situation — this is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage … you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple. When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” Harden said last week while pointedly refusing to explicitly name President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey.

Read More: Michael Rubin Says James Harden Saga Wouldn’t Have Happened If He Was Still Sixers Owner

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Terry Stotts, Damian Lillard’s Former Head Coach, Resigns As Bucks Assistant

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Terry Stotts, who worked with Damian Lillard as the Trail Blazers head coach for nine years, has resigned as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks. Stotts joined the coaching staff assembled by new Bucks coach Adrian Griffin earlier this year. Furthermore, it was Stotts’ first coaching role since parting ways with the Blazers in 2021. However, he announced his decision to leave Milwaukee before the season began. No reason has been given for Stotts’ departure, nor is it clear whether Griffin will seek a replacement.

Additionally, the move comes just a few weeks after Stotts was reunited with Lillard, by far the best player on the team during his Blazers tenure. The Bucks acquired Lillard from the Blazers in the biggest trade of the offseason, working with the Phoenix Suns in a three-team deal to land Giannis’ new tandem partner. Stotts and Lillard won 402 games together and made eight playoff appearances. However, it’s unknown if Lillard’s presence in Milwaukee contributed in any way to Stotts’ departure.

Read More: Damian Lillard Reveals Blazers Made Him Fake Injury For Better Draft Pick

Giannis And Lillard Mixed In First Outings

Bucks fans got their first look at the Giannis-Lillard pairing earlier this week as the tandem made their debut against the Lakers in a preseason matchup. They combined for 30 points and 10 rebounds with Giannis playing 15 minutes and Lillard playing 22. Their second outing against the Thunder wasn’t as magical. Lillard was held to 5 points in 25 minutes, including a dismal 0-5 mark from three. Giannis fared better, putting up a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in 25 minutes. So far, the pair have gone 1-1 in the preseason, with a game against the Grizzlies on Friday.

Hopefully, all the kinks will be worked out before the Bucks open the regular season against the Sixers next week. On paper, the tandem should be perfect. Giannis at least has absolutely no concerns about an offensive “competition” according to comments he made over the weekend. “We’re going to let Dame be Dame. There won’t be any competition. He will have the ball more,” Giannis said from the Bucks training camp earlier this month.

Read More: Giannis Antetokounmpo Excited For Damian Lillard Tandem, Sad To Lose Jrue Holiday

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