Myles Turner didn't mince words when describing Doc Rivers' tactic of telling the team to Google him earlier this season. On Rivers' end, it was meant to fire up his players to show what he was capable of, but instead, as Turner pointed out on a recent episode of Game Recognize Game w/Stewie & Myles, it did the opposite, creating an awkward environment for everyone involved on the Milwaukee Bucks.
"So, I think it was a way of trying to fire us up, but in a room full of ego, he kind of came with the whole ‘Google me’ thing, and I don’t think it went over as well as he might have thought it would... It was a cringe moment for everybody at that time, because we were all kind of looking around like, ‘All right, guys. Well, I guess let’s go beat Boston now.’ You know what I mean? It was tough.”
Rivers' speech was destined to backfire
From the moment word got out that Rivers was pulling up his own receipts, everyone was on the side of the players. Has Rivers achieved a lot? Without a doubt. He just made the Hall of Fame recently for a reason. However, despite all of the good things he's done, Rivers has also had shortcomings by the dozen over the years.
Rivers does have a championship to his name, but that was almost 20 years ago with a loaded squad. Outside of that, he has some victories to his name, but he also has the most blown 3-1 playoff leads in history. Many would argue that the playoff blemishes are far more notable than the title he won way back in the day.
It's not like Rivers was in a room full of rookies with no experience. He was speaking to a group full of veteran players. Several players boast a single championship just like Rivers does, including Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Kyle Kuzma. Could they have fired back and told the coach to Google them?
Bucks are starting fresh with a new leading voice
Doc Rivers was not the only reason the Bucks missed the NBA Playoffs for the first time in a decade. Not at all. However, he certainly played a part. The team never felt connected on the floor, and based on Turner's retelling of events, things clearly were not better behind the scenes. The relationship with the coach and his players was simply not going to work.
Now, with Rivers gone, the Milwaukee Bucks can start fresh. There's no telling who they will hire to be their next coach, but priority No. 1 should be finding someone who can gel with the players and find a way to establish an identity immediately. Who does this team want to be, and how can this new coach get them there? Hopefully not by telling players to Google him.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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