After sitting down with NBA Senior Writer Marcus J Spears, Bucks coach Doc Rivers shared his thoughts on the 'unfair' criticism he's received over the years on his blown leads in the postseason.
"No one tells a real story," Rivers explained. "And I’m fine with that. 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."
Rivers added: "It is what it is. It’s part of my legacy. There’s nothing I can do about it. I got a team that was an eight seed up 3-1. That is coaching. That is not bad coaching. The one with the Clippers is the only one that got away. But people don’t realize that Chris Paul was running on one leg [in 2015 with the Clippers] and we were also the underdog in that series. When you think about it, Houston had home court, not us."
Doc Rivers' playoff shortcomings
Rivers is the only coach in NBA history who has suffered multiple blown 3-1 leads in the postseason, having lost three such series.
In the 2003 playoffs, Rivers and the Orlando Magic blew a 3-1 lead to the Detroit Pistons after having won three of the first four games. In the 2015 Western Conference Semifinals, Rivers and the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to James Harden and the Houston Rockets. More recently, the Clippers once again blew a 3-1 lead in the postseason, this time to the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs in the bubble.
Doc Rivers has also suffered multiple blown 3-2 leads throughout his career, losing four such series. As head coach of the Boston Celtics, Rivers blew those leads in 2009 versus the Magic, in 2010 versus the Lakers, and in 2012 versus the Heat. Fast-forwarding to his time as coach of the 76ers, Rivers blew yet another 3-2 lead to the Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Despite his multiple playoff collapses, Rivers has also experienced his fair share of postseason success, He won his first and only championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, and he ranks fourth on the all-time playoff wins list among head coaches.
Bucks championship aspirations
The Bucks currently sit with a record of 40-31 and are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, but don't appear to be playing at a championship level as we near the end of the regular season. Milwaukee has struggled mightily this season versus the top teams in the East — they're 0-4 versus the Cavs, 0-3 versus the Celtics and 0-2 versus the Knicks.
Milwaukee, after having an underwhelming postseason last year, will look to make amends this season. They were bounced out of the first round last season versus the Pacers, who eventually would go on a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Damian Lillard sustained an Achilles injury in game three that would keep him in and out of the lineup during that series, and Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't appear in the series at all after suffering a calf injury that caused him to miss the final three regular-season games.
Lillard and Giannis are too talented a duo not to make some noise in the playoffs, but considering their struggles against top teams in the East and Doc Rivers' track record, it will be tough sledding ahead.