Bucks' Doc Rivers gets real on 'amazing' opportunity to coach Giannis Antetokounmpo
12/18/2024 03:04 PM
On Tuesday evening, the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA’s second annual NBA Cup with a dominant victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas. Giannis Antetokounmpo once again played like an MVP candidate, and the Bucks’ defense held a talented Thunder squad in check throughout the evening.
The win has to feel especially good for head coach Doc Rivers, who came under heavy scrutiny in the early juncture of this season after the Bucks’ slow start but has since helped guide the team back up the Eastern Conference standings.
Recently, Rivers got one hundred percent honest on just how special of a privilege it is to coach a player like Antetokounmpo, per Brett Siegel.
“I mean, a 10, right?” said Rivers when asked how he would rank the opportunity to coach Antetokounmpo on a scale of 1-10. “That opportunity to coach a Giannis, to coach a [Damian Lillard], to see that group, a veteran group, it’s an amazing opportunity for a coach. This group allows you to coach them, they really do. They let you coach them hard. Nobody takes anything personal. I even said it last year, it was like coaching grownups if you know what I mean. They really get that. They get that you have to tell them the truth and they handle it, and that’s been great.”
An impressive turnaround for the Bucks
As previously mentioned, the Bucks didn’t exactly get off to a blazing start this season, beginning the year 2-8 and quickly finding themselves behind the eight ball in the standings.
However, Milwaukee has since appeared to figure some things out, seeing much more synergy between Antetokounmpo and Lillard and also getting some help from their wing shooters like Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr.
While winning the NBA Cup may not be the ultimate goal for this or any team, it was still a nice symbol of just how far the Bucks have come in such a short time that they were able to make such easy work of a team as talented as the Thunder.
The Bucks will now forge ahead with newly instilled confidence and a version of Antetokounmpo that seems to be playing the best basketball of his Hall of Fame career.
Up next for the Bucks is a road game vs the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday evening. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM ET.
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