Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks enter the playoffs with something to prove

In the waning moments of a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers late on Jan. 26, Doc Rivers was formally announced as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He had addressed the team earlier in the morning, so the players had some time to meet and hear him before a few Bucks addressed the media postgame.

They had a few days, actually, to think about his arrival as it was reported fairly quickly that Rivers would replace Adrian Griffin.

“It’s going to be fun just to get coached by someone who has something to prove as well,” Bucks forward Bobby Portis said that night in January. “Being on the team with other guys who, obviously we all have something to prove. Not saying we failed over the last couple years, but we didn’t achieve what was sought out to be the goal, so having a coach that’s lowkey in the same boat as us is great. And it’s refreshing as well to have everybody on the same page and have guys that ultimately have a little chip on their shoulder and have something to prove.”

For a team that fired Mike Budenholzer after it did not advance out of the second round of the playoffs for the third time in his five seasons at the helm – and then moved on from Griffin after realizing after 43 games that trend might likely continue – the Bucks turned to Rivers.

It made perfect sense, too.

He coached the Boston Celtics to a title in 2008 and to the NBA Finals in 2010. Only a handful of coaches ever won more games, in the regular season or the playoffs. He knows what he’s doing.

More: Establishing an identity and leveling up: Why Doc Rivers was the choice for the Bucks

Like the Bucks, Doc Rivers' teams have fallen short of playoff expectations in the past

But to Portis’ point, when you are the Milwaukee Bucks and Doc Rivers, the standard isn’t just getting to the playoffs. And unfortunately for both parties, that’s where their stories have ended more often than not.

Rivers was fired in Philadelphia after winning 65% of his regular-season games but never advancing out of the second round in three seasons. He was fired after seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers after winning 63% of his regular-season games but never advancing out of the second round.

His teams have seen an NBA-record seven series slip away when leading 3-2. His teams have seen an NBA-record three series slip away when leading 3-1.

Bucks guard Pat Beverley was on the 2019-’20 “bubble” Clippers that surrendered a 3-1 lead to Denver and agreed that as a player, such a thing goes beyond the person drawing up plays and calling timeouts.

“I’m not the type of player that looks at 3-1 leads – I take every game as the game itself,” Beverley told the Journal Sentinel. “I’ve been with Doc when we started two rookies and we took the Golden State Warriors, champions with Kevin Durant, six games (in 2018-’19). We did historical (expletive). Been on teams where we have two superstars and we’re in the bubble and we came up short. So I don’t think you can put 3-1 leads entirely on a coach. I think it’s a bit of everybody.”

Other Bucks players feel the same way.

“The interesting thing to me is, I know how a bunch of talking heads will talk about some of the negative things because that’s what social media is and they like to do, but you talk about the success that he’s had and the ability that he’s had to get teams into positions to win, whether they’ve closed or not,” guard Pat Connaughton said. “I look at our team and I look at the situation that he’s coming into, we get to those situations, I think we got a really good chance to close.”

He’s obviously not wrong.

Everyone has seen what Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton can do in closing situations in a championship run. But injuries to both of those stars the last two postseasons is one of the reasons Rivers is even in Milwaukee.

Can Damian Lillard be the difference-maker for Bucks in playoffs?

Enter, Damian Lillard.

His fourth-quarter clutch gene is unquestioned. And yet, he’s been on only one team that advanced to the conference finals. And he was the one the Bucks organization broke up its championship trio for, in trading away point guard Jrue Holiday.

Does all of that place a chip on the shoulder? Do they feel some kind of way about their early playoff exits the last two seasons? It might depend on the player. They definitely have felt the expectation of winning, from coach on down.

But one thing is abundantly clear as they start this postseason: “We have a confidence in each other as players,” center Brook Lopez told the Journal Sentinel.

“We know who our players are. We know who Giannis is. Know Dame. Know Khris. Down the line," Lopez continued. "So it’s a matter of having that team structure and all of us understanding our roles and what we’re supposed to do. But you know, in executing those roles come playoff time.

"We’ve improved greatly defensively, we have all the horses capable offensively to be great. We’ve shown we can be great. And so we need to have ‘em all just right for the playoff time and I think we’re trending that way.”

As for Rivers, he may not publicly say he feels he has something to prove, but Bucks rookie Chris Livingston was 6 years old the last time a Rivers-coached team played for an NBA title. But Rivers fielded questions in his return to Philadelphia about the way his tenure ended. He fielded questions in his return to Boston about the last glory year of that illustrious franchise.

It’s been a bit.

Perhaps together, Rivers and the Bucks are what each other need to re-prove what they already believe – that they are the best in the NBA.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Doc Rivers, Bucks have something to prove in playoffs