Philadelphia 76ers fans didn’t exactly give Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers a warm welcome in his return to the Wells Fargo Center. Sunday represented the first time Rivers came back to his former stomping ground since he parted ways with the squad this past summer.
Rivers was showered with boos as he was announced as Milwaukee’s head coach before the game started, which just goes to show how forgettable his three-season stint in Philadelphia was.
Milwaukee Bucks Coach Doc Rivers Speaks Out on Sixers Tenure
Rivers himself knows that he failed to reach his ultimate objective with the Sixers in the three years he spent with the team. Nevertheless, Coach Doc is still able to look back fondly on his time in Philadelphia.
The 62-year-old was asked ahead of Sunday’s contest—which the Bucks won, 119-98 — how he thought the fans would welcome him in his first game back, which prompted an honest response from the one-time NBA champion shot-caller:
“That’s up to you – that’s not up to me,” Rivers said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I was happy with it overall.”
Based on his comments here, I don’t think Rivers was expecting such a hostile reception from the Philly faithful.
Coach Doc Holds a Lot of Regret
Rivers then went on to admit that he still rues the missed opportunities he had during his time with the Sixers — and as it turns out, there were quite a few of them:
“I just wish we could’ve got further, gone further,” Coach Doc continued. “I wish I could have had a chance to have Joel (Embiid) 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, and lost to Atlanta – I would love to have that one back as a group – but overall Joel became an MVP, and we established this team as a championship contender. That wasn’t said the year before.”
That’s a lot of coulda, woulda, shoulda, which at this point, is all water under the bridge. To his credit, though, Rivers did play an undeniably integral role in Joel Embiid’s Most Valuable Player win last season.
Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Rivers
Rivers continued to bemoan the off-court issues he had to face during his Sixers tenure, with none more taxing than the Ben Simmons trade saga:
“And under a lot of stuff,” he continued. “You think about we had the James Harden trade, the Ben (Simmons) stuff, so it was a lot of stuff going on. Some were under my control, some were 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.”
Coach Doc still seems to have a lot of love for Philly. Unfortunately for him, the fans just don’t feel the same way.
