Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers recently secured the Eastern All-Star team coaching position but will give his coaching share to former Bucks coach Adrian Griffin. Doc Rivers was vocal to ESPN Reporter Marc Stein about how Adrian Griffin deserves the credit for the Bucks being one of the best teams at this point in the season. Before his firing, Adrian Griffin and the team had a 30-13 record.
How Did Doc Rivers Get The All-Star Coaching Job?
Doc got the coaching job by his team having the best record in the east before February 4th with a 32-16 record. They are second in the conference, only behind the Boston Celtics. However, coach Joe Mazzulla is not eligible to coach this year because he coached in last year’s All-Star game.
Some people want to see the Bucks’ assistant coach, Joe Pruntry, become the All-Star coach rather than Doc Rivers. Several tweets have circulated that fans want to see Pruntry coach because he filled in the interim coaching position before the team hired Doc to take the reins. Marc Stein even reported that Doc Rivers tried to beg off of the coaching position, but the NBA simply rejected that request.
This is Doc’s fourth time receiving the All-Star coaching honors. He coached in the All-Star game thrice in 2008, 2011, and 2021. During those years, he coached for the Boston Celtics in 2008 and 2011 and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021. This year’s All-Star Game is on February 18th at the Pacers’ stadium.
How Have The Milwaukee Bucks Been Doing Since Doc Became Coach?
Doc has only coached three games in the season before receiving the All-Star coaching honor. The Bucks had a recent 129-117 win versus the Dallas Mavericks, and it seems Damian Lillard has returned to his previous All-Star play. This is the first win Rivers has had with the Bucks since he took over the coaching position.
There has been some rough play amongst the team, but it’s normal for players and coaches to take time to adjust to each other. We’ve seen this with the Los Angeles Clippers as they started 0-4 after the James Harden trade and eventually became one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Since Adrian Griffin‘s firing, the Bucks’s defense has slightly improved in the past six games. They jumped up to being the 8th best defense in the league in that period with a 112.5 defensive rating. It might have been the right decision to fire Griffin, although it was shocking as they were one of the best teams in the NBA then. Before the firing, the Bucks allowed 119 points per game. Although this is a small sample size of change, it appears that the Bucks are turning their defensive woes around.
Who Will Coach The Western Conference At The All-Star Game?
Right now, it is a toss-up between three coaches: Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers. All these three teams play today, and whoever has the best record after today becomes the head coach for the Western Conference All-Star team. However, if all three teams lose, Chris Finch will be the head coach.
The Minnesota Timberwolves play against the Houston Rockets. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder play against the Toronto Raptors. The Los Angeles Clippers play against the Miami Heat.
