Bucks Zone

"I loved it here" - Doc Rivers looks back on his three-year stint with the Philadelphia 76ers

Doc was booed in his return to Philly but had the last laugh after Milwaukee got an easy win.
Matthew Dugandzic|
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Coach Doc Rivers was showered with boos when he returned to Philadelphia for the first time since he was fired as the Sixers head coach last season. It may not be the reception that he wanted, but Doc still looked back fondly at his stint with the Sixers.

"It was awesome," Rivers said of his return. "I had three good years here, and I'm not talking about basketball, I'm talking about life. I enjoyed my stay here. I have made friends for life. The fans were good, too. There were a couple hilarious comments. One guy told me that Larry David was looking for me to golf. I thought that was pretty funny."

Doc also emerged triumphant in his return to Philadelphia as the Bucks hacked out an easy 119-98 win.

A decent stint in Philly

During his three-year stint with the team, Rivers tallied the second-best winning percentage by a coach in Sixers history when he led the team to a 154-82 (65.3%) regular season record. Under Rivers, the Sixers emerged as the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21, and Joel Embiid won the MVP award in 2022-23.

Making it to the second round of the playoffs was the best finish that the Sixers could do under Rivers. While he failed to lead the Sixers deeper into the postseason, Rivers was still happy with his stint with the team.

"I was happy with it overall. I just wish we could've got further, gone further. I wish I could've had a chance to have Joel healthy in the playoffs. But when I took this job here (in Philadelphia) I think they got swept the year before in the first round. That regular season the next year, we won the East, lost to Atlanta – I would love to have that one back as a group – but overall, Joel became an MVP, we established this team as a championship contender," the one-time NBA champion coach said.

A lot of "what ifs"

Rivers said the Sixers could have done better under his stewardship, but there were things that he said were out of control, such as the James Harden trade and the Ben Simmons issues.

"You think about we had the James Harden trade, the Ben (Simmons) stuff, so it was a lot of stuff going on. 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. There's only going to be one of those a year. But I loved it here," Rivers said.

The match against Philadelphia was Milwaukee's 12th under Rivers. The Bucks are just 5-7 under the veteran coach but have shown signs of improvement after winning their last two games in convincing fashions.

Giannis Antetokounmpo explains the differences between Doc Rivers and former coach Adrian Griffin

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.