Doc Rivers 'So F--king Engaged,' Quotes Bill Belichick Ahead of 2nd Year as Bucks HC

Doc Rivers is ready for his first full season as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

"I'm literally excited about the team," Rivers told Eric Nehm of The Athletic for a piece published Friday. "I am so f--king engaged. I think we got the right group, I just do. And you know, again, as Bill Belichick said, 'we're either going to land this f--king plane or we're going to have a crash landing.'

"And I'm in for that fight."

Rivers landing the Bucks job was one of the more stunning storylines of the 2023-24 NBA season, as the team fired Adrian Griffin after an impressive 30-13 start before turning to the current coach after Joe Prunty was the interim for three games.

Milwaukee was just 17-19 under Rivers and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined by injury, so there is plenty of room for improvement heading into the new season.

There is also a feeling of now-or-never given the roster construction around Antetokounmpo, as Damian Lillard (34), Brook Lopez (36) and Khris Middleton (33) are all experienced veterans who may not have many seasons of peak production remaining.

That makes Rivers' use of the Belichick quote all the more notable, as the Bucks could win a championship with all that talent or they could drastically fail to live up to expectations as issues such as durability and overall fit become more concerning as the season progresses.

Such an outcome could even put Antetokounmpo's long-term future with the team under the spotlight, as he has a player option for 2027-28 and could eventually look for a better pathway to titles if Milwaukee struggles.

The end result is a pressure-packed new season for the Bucks, but Rivers sounds ready to embrace the challenge.