For years, the Philadelphia 76ers had Doc Rivers as their head coach. With the likes of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, and others leading the way, Rivers had plenty of talent to compete at a high level in the playoffs. But time and time again, he failed to make it past the second round. And since taking over the Milwaukee Bucks, they’ve met the same fate.
Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way, Rivers has failed to make the conference finals—a feat he hasn’t achieved since his time with the Boston Celtics over a decade ago. He’s become synonymous with that failure in recent years.
Now, the Bucks are making the Rivers realization that Sixers fans have known for a long, long time.
The Bucks have made the same Doc Rivers realization as the 76ers
There are a bunch of things Rivers has become known for over the years, and he’s shown them off with every team he’s coached. From the LA Clippers to the Sixers to the Bucks.
One of the primary issues Rivers has put on display has been his inability to trust young players. He constantly gives minutes to veterans over young guys, no matter how much better the young player may be.
There are plenty of guys who were squeezed out of Rivers’ rotation in Philly who went on to have very successful careers elsewhere after being given more opportunities. Isaiah Joe, now a crucial member of the Oklahoma city Thunder’s lineup, is the perfect example.
For the past couple of years, Rivers has employed the same methods in Milwaukee. Even in this very playoff run, guys like Ryan Rollins and Andre Jackson Jr. were overlooked. While they weren’t necessarily playing well, neither were some of the vets Rivers played over them.
Milwaukee fans have also learned plenty about Rivers’ love for weird excuses. In March of this year, Rivers even complained that he doesn’t get enough credit for winning three games in the series in which he blew 3-1 leads. ‘I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins,” he told Marc Spears of Andscape. “I get credit for losing.”
And perhaps most of all, the very detail that people always look to, Rivers can never seem to make the conference finals.
No matter the team, no matter the players, Rivers’ failure to make it past the second round has haunted him since his days in Boston.
From the minutes to his rotation choices to everything in between, Bucks fans have made the painful realization Sixers fans have known for years: Rivers just isn’t a championship-caliber coach anymore.