When Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, returned to the Wells Fargo Centre, the crowd did not exactly greet him with open arms. Sunday was the first time since he broke up with the team this past summer that Rivers returned to his old haunt.
To illustrate how forgettable Rivers’ three-season tenure in Philadelphia was, consider the jeers he received upon being named Milwaukee’s head coach before the game.
Doc Rivers, the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Discusses the Sixers tenor
During his three years with the Sixers, Rivers himself was aware that he fell short of his ultimate goal. Coach Doc can still, however, remember his time in Philadelphia with nostalgia.
When asked how he expected the crowd would greet him in his first game back, the 62-year-old gave an open and honest comment before the Bucks’ 119-98 victory on Sunday.
According to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rivers stated, “That’s up to you – that’s not up to me.” “Overall, I was pleased with it.”
Judging from his remarks made here, I don’t think Rivers anticipated the level of hostility he encountered from the Philadelphia supporters.
Coach Doc Holds a Lot of Remorse Afterwards, Rivers continued to acknowledge that he still laments the opportunities he lost while playing for the Sixers, and it turns out that there were a number of them:
Coach Doc went on, “I just wish we could have gone further, further.” “I wish I could have had the opportunity to see Joel (Embiid) play well during the postseason.” However, I believe they were swept in the opening round the previous year when I started this job here in Philadelphia. We lost to Atlanta in the regular season of the following year, which is something we would all love to have back, but overall, Joel emerged as the team’s MVP, and we made this team a serious contender for a title. No one said that the previous year.
That’s a lot of coulda, woulda, and shoulda, but it’s all moot at this moment. To his credit, Rivers did, however, unquestionably contribute significantly to Joel Embiid’s victory as last season’s Most Valuable Player.
Rivers persisted in lamenting the off-court problems he had while playing for the Sixers, none more burdensome than the Ben Simmons trade drama:
“And beneath a great deal of stuff,” he added. “You consider that there was a lot going on—we had the Ben (Simmons) situation, the James Harden trade, etc. I could control certain things, but not all of them. In general, though, I don’t think it’s ever really satisfying to lose a title. We all do this for that reason. There will only be one of those every year. However, I cherished my time here.
Philly continues to hold a special place in Coach Doc’s heart. Sadly for him, the fans don’t share his sentiments.
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