Bucks' Doc Rivers Calls Out 'Unfair' Criticism for Blowing 3-1 Leads in NBA Playoffs

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers fired back at criticism that he's received for his teams blowing 3-1 series leads in the NBA playoffs throughout his career.

"It is what it is," Rivers told Andscape's Marc J. Spears. "It’s part of my legacy. There’s nothing I can do about it. I got a team that was an eight seed up 3-1. That is coaching. That is not bad coaching. The one with the Clippers is the only one that got away. But people don’t realize that Chris Paul was running on one leg [in 2015 with the Clippers] and we were also the underdog in that series. When you think about it, Houston had home court, not us."

The former Coach of the Year winner also pointed out that he's never been swept in the playoffs.

"No one tells a real story," Rivers explained. "And I’m fine with that. It’s unfair in some ways. I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins. I get credit for losing. I always say, ‘What if we had lost to Houston in six?’ No one cares. One of the things that I’m proud of is we’ve never been swept. All the coaches have been swept in the playoffs. My teams achieve. A lot of them overachieve and I’m very proud of that."

Rivers' teams have blown 3-1 series leads on three separate occasions since he secured his first heading coaching role in 1999.

The 63-year-old's first blown 3-1 lead occurred when he was head coach of the Orlando Magic during the 2003 playoffs. The No. 8 seed Magic took three of the first four contests against the No. 1 Detroit Pistons before losing the final three games of the series by 61 combined points.

Rivers later served as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, owning a 3-1 series advantage over the Houston Rockets in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals before blowing the lead.

The Clippers also jumped out to a 3-1 lead during a second-round series against the Denver Nuggets in 2020. They dropped two games before finishing with just 89 points in Game 7, as stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined to shoot a mere 10-of-38 from the field.

Rivers has also experienced his fair share of postseason success, winning a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and ranking No. 4 on the all-time playoff wins list among head coaches.

Still, he's the only coach in NBA history to experience multiple blown 3-1 leads.

Rivers will look to avoid another postseason collapse as the Bucks prepare for the 2025 playoffs, currently sitting at No. 5 in the Eastern Conference standings with a 40-30 record.