Alright, let’s dive into this whole Doc Rivers coaching situation. I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online, and honestly, I had to dig in and see what’s up.
So, I started where anyone would – just scrolling through forums and articles. The name “Doc Rivers” is everywhere, especially now that he’s with the Milwaukee Bucks. You’ve got Giannis and Lillard on that team, so expectations are sky-high, right?
First off, I looked at his track record. The dude’s been coaching for 25 years. That’s a quarter of a century! And get this, he’s in the top 10 for regular-season wins and top 4 in playoff wins. That’s some serious numbers. I mean, he’s up there with legends. His winning percentage is actually higher than some Hall of Famers, like Larry Brown and Rick Adelman. Pretty impressive, huh?
But then, I started seeing the other side of the coin. People are saying he’s blown more 3-1 leads than any other coach. Three times! That’s tough. And it’s not like he’s been coaching scrubs; he’s had some seriously talented players on his teams.
I stumbled upon this JJ Redick quote that really stuck with me. He said something like, “It’s always an excuse” with Doc. Like, there’s always a reason why things didn’t go their way. That got me thinking, is it always bad luck, or is there something else going on?
Then there’s the whole Boston Celtics thing. I read that he basically didn’t want to stick around for a rebuild, so they traded him to the Clippers back in 2013. And, this is kind of wild, he even coached his own son, Austin, on the Clippers. Imagine having your dad as your boss in the NBA!
My deep-dive into Doc’s Record
Here’s what I did next:
- Compared his stats: I put Doc’s numbers side-by-side with other top coaches, both in regular season and playoffs.
- Watched old games: I went back and watched some of those infamous playoff series where his teams lost after being up 3-1. Trying to see what went wrong.
- Read player interviews: I looked for quotes from players who’ve played under Doc, trying to get a sense of his coaching style and how players respond to him.
After all this, I kind of get why people are so divided on Doc. He’s got the numbers, the experience, and he’s clearly respected in the league. But there’s also this pattern of underperforming in big moments, and it’s hard to ignore.
One thing I’ve seen some people say is that he “raises the floor” of a team. I guess that means he makes a team better, but maybe he has a hard time taking them to that championship level.
At the end of the day, it’s not black and white. Is Doc Rivers a bad coach? I don’t think so. But is he the best? Probably not. He’s somewhere in between, and maybe that’s why the debate is so heated. He’s good enough to get you to the playoffs, but can he get you that ring? That’s the million-dollar question, and I guess we’ll see how it goes with the Bucks.
It’s a tough one, and I’m still not 100% sure where I stand. But it’s been a fun ride digging into all this. What do you all think?
