Star Giannis Antetokounmpo was upset with the Milwaukee Bucks, the team, and his own play after they lost to the Houston Rockets disappointingly on Saturday night. He was also upset with how they played defense. According to Eric Nehem of The Athletic, the former NBA champion would mention the word “pride” four times before discussing specific ways they could improve their defense.

“Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride. We gotta take it personal,” Antetokounmpo said, when asked how the Bucks can get better defensively this season. “Like, we have to take it personal. Whoever wants to play hard, plays hard. Whoever doesn’t want to play hard, it’s gotta be a decision that’s gotta be made. Even myself, too. If I don’t play hard, sit me out, sit me on the bench. There’s times I’m tired and I don’t play as hard as I can, and there’s times even when I give everything I have. But we have to have a mentality of whenever we step on the floor, we have to get stops.”

Asked what they need to do build a better defense, Antetokounmpo repeated one word four times.

“Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride. We gotta take it personal.” – Antetokounmpo https://t.co/FdDILWtQVo

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 7, 2024

While the Bucks are known for their massive offensive firepower led by the likes of Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who was acquired via trade before the season, the former believes that is not how you win. He believes Milwaukee has to play complimentary basketball and the success will follow in nature.

“That’s how we’re going to win. We’re not going to win by getting a rhythm offensively. Obviously, they were a tough team because they switch everything and you have to play one-on-one in order for you to break down their defense,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we cannot rely on that. We have to rely on getting stops. Guys have to play with more effort, including me. It starts with me always. Always… Including me. I have to be able, every time we step on the floor, to figure out the ways to get stops. Play harder. That’s it.”

He stressed the sense of urgency on defense after the game to the media by saying that the offense can flip-flop in performance, but the defense does not leave any room for error. Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly the team’s leader as he gave a candid response for himself and the team saying there was no effort and once again, “no pride.”

“Offense is gonna be there some nights, and, some nights, it’s not going to be there,” Antetokounmpo said to The Athletic. “Your defensive effort, though, has got to be there. And defensively, our effort was not there. There was no pride. Guys were just driving the ball, straight-line drive, getting to the paint, over-helping, shooting 3s, offensive rebounds. There was nothing. This was not the Milwaukee Bucks. This is not who we are.”

Antetokounmpo talks about each half of the game

The former two-time MVP carried the load even on the offensive end, scoring 48 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, with Lillard coming in second with 18. Following Kris Middleton’s ten points, no Bucks player scored more than ten points. Conversely, Houston’s strong overall performance was what gave them the advantage.

Although the club played better in the second half and held the Rockets to their lowest scoring quarters, Antetokounmpo does give the team credit for that. In comparison to the first twenty-four minutes of the game, he even said that the team’s performance in the second half is more representative of the team he knows.

“The second half, we were better,” Antetokounmpo said. “Third quarter, we were better. Fourth quarter, we were better. We won both quarters. Yeah, we went out there and competed. We make it harder, pre-switch, fronted the post, put our hands in the ball, made it tough for them, got every rebound that we could. We made it tough. That’s who we are.”

The 29-year old superstar implied that he does not recognize the Bucks as he usually is in love with their defensive effort. However, he feels as if the team is relying too heavily on their offensive prowess.

“In the first half, we didn’t do that. And it’s not good, man. ‘Cause right now we’re playing a type of basketball, especially defensively, that is not us,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have to be better. In order for us to win, we have to be better. We cannot just rely on our offense of scoring 130 points, 140 points every single night. It’s not going to work that way. It’s not going to work that way.”

Antetokounmpo says it starts with him

At the end of the day, Antetokounmpo says all of the blame should be directed towards him. He cites himself as well as other players on dying “on screens” and that it “always starts with me.” On the season, the seven-time All-Star is averaging 31.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting an efficient 61 percent from the field.

“We cannot die on screens. We die on screens, including myself,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m not trying to throw anybody under the bus. That’s why I keep saying including myself. Always. It starts from me. I’m the leader of the team. It always starts with me. I have to be better, but we cannot die on screens. What, because Bobby (Portis) and Brook (Lopez) are back there, what does that mean? That we are going to— we are just going to die on screens and let the guy go downhill and shoot a floater because Brook is going to save our butts? That’s how we’re going to win a championship? No, that’s not how we’re going to win a championship.”

“Prior to Saturday’s game, the Bucks ranked 21st in defensive rating, allowing teams to score 115.9 points per 100 possessions,” according to The Athletic. That data indicates that this wasn’t a one-game trend; rather, it has continued throughout the season thus far.

Even though they lost, which is disheartening to say the least, the Bucks are still 25-11 and sit second in the Eastern Conference, three games behind the Boston Celtics, who are the top seed. They host the Utah Jazz at the Fiserv Forum on Monday night as part of a four-game home stand, and they will be looking to recover.