76ers fans boo Doc Rivers in his return to Philadelphia, but Bucks stole the show

Posted by Matt February 27, 2024 5 Min Read

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After being fired by the Sixers front office last summer, Doc Rivers finally made his way back to Philadelphia but this time as head of the Milwaukee squad. Eight months later, he beat his former club 119 to 98 this past Sunday night. 

However, it wasn’t all smiles for the veteran tactician, especially at the beginning of the match when the entire arena booed as he arrived on court and his name was mentioned in the speakers. According to Doc, however, he didn’t hear a thing. 

“I didn’t even hear it, to be honest,” Rivers claimed while grinning. “That means I was back at home.” Even though his reception wasn’t what many expected, the 62-year-old revealed he was happy with all that happened during his tenure leading the 76ers roster. 

In three years with the club, Doc went 154-82 but unfortunately lost in the Eastern Conference’s semifinals in all three campaigns. “I’m happy with it overall, I just wish we could’ve gone further,” Rivers said. “I wish we could have had a chance to have Joel Embiid healthy in the playoffs,” he admitted. 

“But overall, Joel became an MVP, and we established this team as a championship contender. That wasn’t said the year before. And under a lot of stuff. You think about it, we had the James Harden trade, the Ben Simmons stuff. Some was under my control, some was out of my control, but overall, for me, if you don’t win a title, you’re never exactly happy. That’s why we all do this,” Rivers added.

The Bucks started the night on fire, as they dropped 69 points only in the first half, the most since Doc arrived in Wisconsin. Co-stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined to score and assist on 82 points out of the team’s 119 in total. Brook Lopez also contributed in defense, with 5 blocks to his name. 

“Carryover — that’s got to be a key word for us,” The Greek Freak said postgame, after ending the march with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. “I feel like we’re feeling like ourselves. Playing hard, move the ball, we are defending better. We’re just playing hard.”

Rivers regrets how close he came with Philly to beat the Celtics last years, but lost to them in Game 7

Right before this weekend’s clash, Doc was reminded about his last contest as head of the Philly roster. The veteran coach regretted having been so close to eliminating the Celtics in last playoffs’ semifinals, but eventually lost both Game 6 and 7. 

“I’ll put it [this] way: Going into the series last year, who picked the Sixers?” he asked rhetorically. “That’s the point. Yet, we had them down 3-2 and had a chance. The game we should’ve won was the Game 6. Game 7s are tough everywhere. But we did something to get there. It just tells you how close we were. I look back on that and think, Joel wasn’t 100% last year. Things happen and you just live with them.”

Now that the Milwaukee club are 5-7 with Rivers and picking up their pace, Antetokounmpo revealed that he’s loving to play under the 62-year-old and decided to voice his support for him.

“I love him,” Giannis shared. “It’s been incredible playing for him. He just explains to me, what he wants from me. You respect him because he’s been 25 years in the league.”