Doc Rivers Blasted by NBA Fans for Myriad Excuses After 1–4 Start With Bucks

The Milwaukee coach listed a number of reasons for his team’s recent struggles.

Doc Rivers has been a popular punching bag ever since taking over as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks firing Adrian Griffin just 43 games into his first season was a shocking move by itself. Moving Rivers into the role was curious on top of it, as he was helping Griffin as a consultant while working as a broadcaster for ESPN. 

However, the veteran coach immediately made himself an easy target by saying the Bucks job was a challenge that he wouldn’t wish on anyone. No one forced him to leave a decidedly less stressful TV analyst position, let alone for a job with the high pressure of championship expectations. 

Milwaukee’s poor performance with Rivers coaching has only added to the scrutiny he’s facing. He’s just five games into his Bucks tenure, but a 1–4 start is not what fans and NBA observers had in mind when Rivers replaced Griffin. What makes that record even more frustrating—or amusing, depending on your view—is that the coach has made many excuses for the skid. 

Playing in higher altitudes and different time zones are among the obstacles that the Bucks have had to overcome, according to Rivers. The players are tired and the roster is short-handed due to injuries. Oh, and that might be because of playing harder on defense, which is exactly what Rivers was tasked with improving. 

Doc Rivers blames his 1-4 start on:

• Altitude
• Schedule Makers
• Time Zones
• Fatigue + Injuries
• Playing too hard on defense pic.twitter.com/haH51XjInS

— CBain (@cbain100) February 7, 2024

NBA fans have had fun with Rivers’s statement about the team’s recent struggles:

You can tell this dude done got fired from almost every job. He got a excuse for losing down lol https://t.co/nBDZYe9Z1n

— K.i.s.m.🤵🏿is on spoutible (@mike_inago) February 8, 2024

Guy got $40M to take over a winning team and is just like “I don’t know guys what do you want from me?” https://t.co/qUmrCdBvEY

— Nate Ellman (@DailyAntagonist) February 8, 2024

as a sixers fan this makes me so happy, i just listened to this like 10 times grinning ear to ear https://t.co/gVlq1gPkCP

— Jalen’s #1 fan (@imakeshoes44) February 7, 2024

Perhaps it’s not entirely fair to judge Rivers since he joined the team as it began a five-game road trip that included matchups with the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. And every team is probably eyeing the upcoming All-Star break as an opportunity to rest from the grind of a long regular season. 

However, that is an impressive list of explanations from Rivers. His players surely appreciate advocating for them to the media. And some of these excuses might even be legitimate. But they’re also not anything that every other team in the NBA is dealing with as well. The difference is that the Bucks are carrying major expectations.