FanPost

Is Doc Rivers To Blame For The Bucks Loss?

I read a lot of the comments from the Celtics-Bucks article and it seems like most (if not all) the fans put the blame on Pierce or Bass. Personally, I didn't think there was anything wrong with the players directly, but I'd put in Doc Rivers' name into the blame hat.

It was a tough loss for the Celtics in that Bucks game, not only because the Bucks are an Eastern Conference team who once again now have a winning record at the expense of the Celtics, but because they have failed to take advantage of an opportunity. The Brooklyn Nets fell to the Miami Heat, and the Sixers fell to the Bulls. It was a chance for the Celtics to close the gap a little bit in the Atlantic Division, but unfortunately they couldn't capitalize.

The Bucks game was a little bit of a deja vu. It was very similar to what happened in Philadelphia when the Celtics went up 14-0 in Game 4 or Game 6. It was one half of very good basketball. Magic Johnson during the halftime show even called out the Heat, saying that the Celtics are a hungry team and they better watch out. The words fell on deaf ears however as the Celtics allowed the Sixers to come back from an 18-point hole (if I'm not mistaken), and force the series to 7-games.

The difference between the Bucks game and the game in Philly was the depth. Doc Rivers did not use the bench like he should've against the Bucks who are ranked 2nd in bench scoring (at over 42 a game).

Rivers played Pierce for 35 minutes, Courtney Lee for 39 minutes, and Jason Terry for 40 minutes. Even Kevin Garnett had a 31-minute night. You would think this was a playoff game, instead of a second half of a back to back.

The only bench player that got minutes was Jeff Green. Collins got a healthy 13 minutes, and he managed to grab 5 boards and a block. Sullinger also got 13 minutes, but you would expect him to play more. Granted he only had 2 points on 1/4 shooting, however he still managed to grab 5 boards and block 3 shots. Leandro Barbosa struggled in this game, but I still believe Doc Rivers should give him more playing time. He is a former Sixth Man of the Year, he's a proven player, and Doc has him on the court for such limited time. I see Barbosa taking a lot of quick shots because he's trying to make an impact on the game before he has to sit. In addition, Courtney Lee played 36 minutes against the Blazers, and Doc still didn't feel like Barbosa should've logged serious minutes.

Using the back-to-back is a weak excuse for the loss especially for a team who deemed themselves deep during the offseason. It links back to Doc at the end of the day. It's up to him who gets to play and who gets to sit. The Celtics are now at the 9-8 mark. This is where the Miami Heat turned their season around, so in the words of ShepherdCall," It Is Time To Put Up Or Shut Up".

What are your thoughts? Who is to blame for the Bucks loss? Who or what is to blame for the Celtics struggles? Can the Celtics turn their season around like their red, white and black counterparts?


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