Bucks' Doc Rivers agrees with harsh take on win over 76ers
01/20/2025 11:26 AM
Wins come in all shapes and sizes, just ask Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. Despite the team’s 123-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, he felt that there were some shortcomings. Even with Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo making history on Friday, nothing is off limits for Rivers to criticize.
He explained via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. on Twitter/X how the lack of defensive effort could’ve cost them the game.
“Yeah. Early in the year, we may have lost that though. Tonight, we win the game and that’s what you have to do. You gotta stack up wins when you can and we’re doing that.”
After starting the season 2-8, many thought that Rivers’s time in Milwaukee would be short-lived. However, fast forward to game 41, and it’s been a different team. They now have a 24-17 and sit fourth in the Eastern Conference. The duo of Damian Lillard and Antetokounmpo have been a difference maker.
Still, Rivers has to do with some of the changes. He’s made a conscious effort to improve the defense, starting with hustle, and effort. Even with Antetokounmpo being a great defender, there wasn’t evidence of it early in the season. Now, it’s back to the Defensive Player of the Year type of defense.
Doc Rivers’s harsh take has the Bucks embracing a new standard
Criticism about Rivers’s coaching acumen is warranted, considering what’s happened since the 2008 NBA season. After winning an NBA championship, he’s missed the mark more than a few times. Once he joined the Los Angeles Clippers, he never saw the Western Conference Finals once. Then, a brief stint in Philadelphia with the 76ers presented more of the same.
Finally, he accepted the Bucks head coaching job halfway through last season. Taking over in the middle of a season of tough, especially as the head coach. Developing new philosophies, tactics, and strategies is difficult to learn when every game counts. Luckily, this season has proven that those principles are apparent.
When Milwaukee entered the NBA Cup, they were on a roll. They were 13-3 leading up to the championship win. However, they fell back down to earth. As a result, Rivers slapped the Bucks with a harsh truth bomb. Having a coach that demands accountability from his players is a true positive.
At the end of the day, championship teams want to perfect every detail. As Rivers mentioned, a lack of defensive effort could be the downfall later in the season. Fine-tuning those elements at this point in the season could prevent that same scenario from happening down the road.
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