After Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers said it was “unfair” that he doesn't get enough credit as a playoff-winning coach, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith had a thing or two to say in response on “First Take”.
“It is something he has said to me… do you know what I've said in response: Please don't say that publicly.”
"It is something he has said to me… do you know what I've said in response: Please don't say that publicly."
Stephen A. Smith on Doc Rivers saying he doesn't get enough credit for winning 3 games in a playoff series despite blowing three 3-1 leads 😬pic.twitter.com/WtLna1frme
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 25, 2025
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Rivers is on the cusp of tying Phil Jackson as the seventh-winningest coach in NBA history per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Given that he defended his record when asked about his teams blowing a 3-1 leads.
“No one tells a real story and I’m fine with that,” he said. “It’s unfair in some ways. I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins. I get credit for losing. I always say, ‘What if we had lost to Houston in six?’ No one cares. One of the things that I’m proud of is we’ve never been swept. All the coaches have been swept in the playoffs. My teams achieve. A lot of them overachieve and I’m very proud of that.
The truth about Bucks HC Doc Rivers' recent playoff record
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers looks on during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks in a semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena.
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
There is no question Rivers will go down in history as a great coach. After all, in his first year as head coach, he engineered the Boston Celtics improbable run to the NBA title in 2008. Since then, his teams (Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and the Bucks) have made the playoffs.
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He turned around a dysfunctional 76ers team to become a No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2021.
For all that the Bucks sideline boss has to brag about, but his recent track record in the playoffs is hard to overlook.
On three occasions, Rivers' team held 3-1 leads with the Orlando Magic (2003) and Clippers (2015, 2020).
The Magic led the Detroit Pistons in the first round before faltering in the last three games. In '15, the Clippers blew the lead against the Houston Rockets and in '20 against the Denver Nuggets.
Rivers' teams were the underdogs in the first two years. However, blowing a sizable lead is hard to live with let alone forget.
Certainly, his coaching pedigree is one to marvel at. But we live in a sporting world where success is judged by wins, fair or not.