"That was peak Doc Rivers" - Former NFL LB takes shot at veteran coach after Bucks playoff exit
Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers caught a stray from former NFL linebacker and current Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho. Rivers and the Bucks were close to forcing Game 6 against the Indiana Pacers before choking a seven-point lead in just 40 seconds.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Acho reacted to the Bucks' 119-118 loss to the Pacers in Game 5, eliminating Giannis Antetokounmpo and company from the playoffs. The former NFL player took a shot at Rivers, who called two timeouts late, but both possessions ended up in turnovers.
"That was peak Doc Rivers!!! WTF!!!!! The Bucks were up 118-111 with 35 seconds in overtime and they LOST! Giannis had 30-20-13 and they LOST!?? How does this happen! HOW??" Acho tweeted.
AJ Green put the Milwaukee Bucks ahead 118-111 with 40 seconds left in overtime. Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-point shot six seconds later to bring the lead down to four. Doc Rivers called a timeout to calm things down, but Gary Trent Jr. made a bad pass and the ball was stolen by Nembhard.
Tyrese Haliburton then made a layup against Green, plus the foul, to trim the deficit to just two points. Haliburton converted the bonus free throw to make it 118-117 with 17 seconds left in overtime.
Rivers called another timeout to ensure that they keep the lead, but Green's pass to Trent was fumbled and went out of bounds. Haliburton isolated Giannis Antetokounmpo, driving to the rim and making an acrobatic layup with a second remaining.
The Bucks had no timeouts remaining, with Trent missing the near full-court heave as the buzzer sounded. There was a commotion after the game, but cooler heads prevailed as the Pacers celebrated their series win.
Former NBA player defends Doc Rivers
One-time NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins defended his former coach, Doc Rivers, from Emmanuel Acho's assessment. Perkins blamed the players, explaining that the errors made on the court were out of the hands of Rivers.
"That sh*t had nothing to with Doc @EmmanuelAcho I know that's the “COOL” thing to say but that was on the Players that were on the floor. Don’t do that my guy," Perkins said.
While Rivers was not at fault for the turnovers, he could have adjusted their lineup after the second timeout. There were clear jitters among some players, and it would have been a better choice to have Giannis Antetokounmpo as the inbounder after their two timeouts.