There’s no denying that Milwaukee Bucks veteran Bobby Portis let his team down in Game 4 after getting himself ejected in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, however, opted not to unload on his player with an angry tirade, despite the fact that he had every right to. Instead, the veteran shot-caller chose to take a different approach.
Milwaukee Bucks News: Doc Rivers Did Not Speak With Bobby Portis After Game 4 Ejection
According to Rivers himself, he decided to delegate. He assigned assistant coach Vin Baker to be the one to speak with Portis after the incident:
“I called Vin – Reverend Baker – to go talk to him. And Vin did a great job there. He reported back and said, ‘He’s good,’” Rivers said, via Lori Nickell of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “(Portis) came in and said some things to the team and I told all my coaches, ‘Don’t say another word to Bobby, he’s in a good space; leave him alone.’ He’s a vet, so you can over-talk it.
“And, I was concerned about him going the other way – being passive.”
It appears that Rivers’ approach worked. Portis responded in a major way in Game 5 by going off for 29 points as he helped lead Milwaukee to a season-saving 115-92 blowout win on Tuesday night.
The Bucks will need more of the same from the Sixth Man of the Year finalist as they fight to keep their season alive in Game 6 on Thursday.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
