The Clock is Ticking: Doc Rivers Confronts Postseason Demons with Playoffs on the Horizon
The Milwaukee Bucks are just 4-6 in their last ten games. Because of their recent struggles, they are now two full games behind the Indiana Pacers for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee now sits just a half-game ahead of the Pistons for the fifth spot. They are in danger of sliding all the way down into the sixth spot.
While the Bucks have had some problems staying healthy, they should still be playing better basketball as the season winds down. They are hoping to get some momentum as the playoffs get closer but have struggled to gain any.
Apart from how bad the Bucks are playing right now, the Bucks have also struggled in the playoffs in recent years. Losing last year in the first round of the playoffs was a low point. Some have pointed to Rivers’ personal coaching struggles in the playoffs.
For how talented the Bucks are, they should be able to be more successful in the playoffs. Doc Rivers addressed those struggles recently.
“It is what it is. It’s part of my legacy. There’s nothing I can do about it. I got a team that was an eight seed up 3-1. That is coaching. That is not bad coaching. The one with the Clippers is the only one that got away. But people don’t realize that Chris Paul was running on one leg [in 2015 with the Clippers] and we were also the underdog in that series. When you think about it, Houston had home court, not us.”
Rivers knows that he has to be better in the playoffs if he wants a better legacy. That’s not something that he thinks about often, though. He’s more focused with getting his team to play better.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the player who carries this team. If he can be healthy for the playoffs this year, the Bucks feel good about any potential matchup that they have.
Rivers needs his team to get play with more consistency as the playoffs get closer.
