Doc Rivers Becomes 76ers Rival

Doc Rivers is back in the Eastern Conference.

The Milwaukee Bucks sent shockwaves through the NBA on Tuesday afternoon following a franchise-altering move. Not even one season after hiring former Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin to replace Mike Budenholzer as the head coach, the Bucks have decided to move on.

Griffin was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, which was a bit of a head-scratching move, considering the Bucks remained one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season.

Prior to Milwaukee’s decision, the Bucks achieved a 30-13 record. They placed second in the Eastern Conference, half a game in front of the Philadelphia 76ers and just under four games back from the top-seeded Boston Celtics.

With Griffin now out of the picture, the Bucks replace him with a familiar face to Philadelphians, as Doc Rivers has been named the franchise’s next head coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Bouncing Back

This year, Rivers hoped to continue what he started with the Sixers back in 2020. After concluding a seven-year run with the Los Angeles Clippers, Rivers replaced Brett Brown in Philly after a disappointing 76ers playoff run, which concluded in just four games.

Rivers’ tenure started off on the right foot, as the Sixers locked in the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed in the first year under the head coach. Unfortunately, their regular season success didn’t translate in the playoffs.

Despite knocking off the Washington Wizards in five games during the first round, the Sixers came up short against the Atlanta Hawks in round two. The Sixers saw a slight drop-off in the regular season the following year. They also struggled to make it past the second round once again, losing in six games to the Miami Heat after defeating the Toronto Raptors in round one.

Throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season, it was becoming clear that Rivers’s job could be on the line if the Sixers didn’t show signs of improvement during the postseason. After locking in the third seed, the Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. While they came close to finally cracking a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals, Philadelphia short-circuited against the Boston Celtics in Game 7.

Rivers publicly stated that he hoped to get the opportunity to finish out the final two years he had on his contract, but the Sixers called it off early.

This season, the Sixers have been rolling with Nick Nurse as Rivers’ replacement. They are third in the East, with a 29-13 record. While Doc Rivers’ attempt to land a bounce-back job with the Phoenix Suns or the Bucks was initially unsuccessful over the offseason, he’ll head to Milwaukee to finish the job for Griffin.