Looking Ahead: Celtics Can Push Doc Rivers To Final Retirement

Doc Rivers didn’t last until the NBA All-Star break on the ESPN sidelines before jumping right back into the head coaching game, taking over at the helm for the Milwaukee Bucks 43 games into their season.

Thrown right back into the fire, Rivers is still recovering from his latest head-coaching tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers. Philly fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals and carried on a tradition that’s haunted Rivers since his first head-coaching gig with the Orlando Magic in 2003: Blowing playoff leads.

There hasn’t been another head coach in NBA history to have multiple playoff series losses after taking a 3-1 lead. Rivers has not one, not two, but three on his 24-year head-coaching resume.

When Rivers joined the Celtics in 2004, the organization remained patient. Two consecutive first-round playoff exits were followed by back-to-back playoff misses until Danny Ainge’s front office magic gave Boston its Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen “Big Three” — and Banner 17 in 2008.

That glory quickly ended after Garnett’s iconic “anything is possible” line reached the TD Garden rafters, quickly taking Rivers from the mountaintop to gutters.

Rivers bailed on Boston’s rebuild after Pierce, Garnett and Allen parted ways, joining a Los Angeles Clippers super team that failed to live up to their hype. Seven years with the Clippers and not a single Western Conference finals appearance. So, it was onto the City of Brotherly Love for Rivers in 2020.

Now, the script has flipped between Rivers and the Celtics, giving Boston the upper hand, once again, to send Rivers back to the hot seat. Only this time, after a trio of stops across the league with nothing to show for it, Rivers could be due for the end of his trail — meaning (potential) retirement.

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The possibility isn’t far-fetched either considering Rivers’ string of playoff misfortune has become a reputation, sticking to him like glue. Getting a handful of favorable chances with top-notch talents like (prime) Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Joel Embiid — to name a few — has resulted in nothing.

That’s impressive, for all the wrong reasons.

Now, joining a Milwaukee team that’s been in Boston’s rearview mirror all season long in the race for the No. 1 seed, Rivers hasn’t escaped the pressure. Expectations of reaching — and winning — the NBA Finals remain with the Bucks. That’s why they acquired Damian Lillard and why Adrian Griffin got fired, opening the door for Rivers to walk right through.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I can tell you that from just the day and a half,” Rivers told reporters during his introductory press conference, per team-provided video. “It’s gonna be a challenge. It’s a challenge that I’m running toward. Gotta get organized quickly. Can’t try to get too soon. We’re in the middle of the season so we gotta try to keep our rhythm. There are changes that we need to make and we’ll start working on it immediately.”

Getting back to the Finals is no easy feat, as Rivers knows well. There’s a new and improved Celtics roster that’s gone an NBA-best 35-11 entering Monday night. Then there’s the 76ers followed by the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat — three of which have made pre-trade deadline acquisitions to boost their respective rosters.

The possibility is well within place for the Celtics and Bucks to cross paths come playoff time, thus putting Rivers in a dicey situation. If that matchup comes to fruition, then it’ll be up to Rivers to overcome a polished Celtics team that’s vastly improved in nearly all areas on the floor. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla is gaining experience and applying the learning lessons along the way, which has been evident since opening night. Therefore, Rivers is up for the biggest challenge of any head coach.

Milwaukee’s defense has been atrocious, ranking 19th in defensive rating (116.3) as of Monday, which is a notable leap. The Bucks don’t have the same defensive unit that heavily assisted their successful title run in 2021, so Rivers will need to play the janitor in cleaning that mess up.

Not to mention franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who presumably has a major hand of influence, essentially threatened to leave Milwaukee during the offseason. So the Bucks have no leverage and their hand can be forced at any given moment.

Like Boston, it’s championship or bust in Milwaukee.