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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Adrian Griffin, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., January 14, 2024. /CFP
The Milwaukee Bucks have fired head coach Adrian Griffin, the team announced on Tuesday. According to CNN, former Philadelphia 76ers' boss Doc Rivers has agreed to coach the Bucks.
"This was a difficult decision to make during the season," said Bucks' general manager Jon Horst in a statement. "We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team."
Assistant coach Joe Prunty will take over the position on an interim basis. ESPN also reported that the Bucks are negotiating with Rivers but didn't confirm his appointment.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (L) and Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks celebrate after the 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., January 14, 2024. /CFP
Griffin was hired last summer to replace Mike Budenholzer, who led the Bucks to win the NBA championship in 2021. The team won 30 of their 43 games under Griffin and are in second place in the Eastern Conference, 3.5 games behind the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks averaged 124.6 points (the second-best in the league) in 101.8 possessions (the fourth-fastest) per game, with the NBA's second-best offensive rating (121.4) by Tuesday. However, they were among the bottom-10 in both points allowed per game (120.5, 25th) and defensive rating (117.4, 21st).
The team's defensive slipping set an ugly difference from their superb performance on this front since Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2018-19 season.
Doc Rivers of ESPN enters the court ahead of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 5, 2024. /CFP
However, it's unfair to blame Griffin for the Bucks' defensive underperformance because a coach can't build a good defense without good defenders. In their blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard with the Portland Trail Blazers, the Bucks gave up two of their best perimeter defenders, Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen. Antetokounmpo today is not as invested as he used to be in defense. Considering that they have been sticking to the defensive policy of having Brook Lopez drop back in the paint, their defense understandably turned bad dramatically.
If Rivers becomes the Bucks' head coach, there will be very limited expectations for improvement in defense. He is more of a players' coach than a tactics master. He is good at uniting the team and prefers to trust experienced veterans. Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Lopez and Khris Middleton all belong to this type.
The last time Rivers coached an NBA team, he and the 76ers were knocked out by the Celtics 4-3 in the Eastern semifinals last season after blowing a 3-2 lead. He was fired after that. Having worked as a head coach for 24 seasons, his teams wasted three 3-1 leads, four 3-2 leads and one 2-0 lead in the playoffs. His coaching record for Game 7 is an unenviable 6-10.