Bucks’ Doc Rivers credits ‘big response’ for bounce-back win over Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks may have had to deal with Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors to start the month of February, but they have been playing good basketball amidst all that noise. They’ve gone 7-3 thus far in the current calendar month, with their seventh win coming against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, with Kevin Porter Jr. leading the way in a 128-117 win.

The game was close nearly all the way, with the Bucks doing just enough to keep in step with the Heat. But towards the end of the game, Milwaukee buckled down on the defensive end of the floor and put a lid on the basket — going on an 11-0 run to punctuate proceedings and to move to 25-31 on the season.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is seeing a marked change in the way his players carry themselves, and he’s proud of the shift in mentality his team has undergone.

“This was a big response for us. This is what we haven’t done this year. We’ll get a nice stretch of games going, then we’ll lose and then the next game, we kind of give in again. And tonight, there were stretches where we could have gave in and we didn’t,” Rivers said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

Doc Rivers is in his comfort zone as a coach with this Bucks roster

Rivers appears to be at his most comfortable when he’s coaching an undermanned/undertalented team, helping them punch above their weight class. What else would explain their recent uptick in form?

Rivers helmed an impressive 2019 Los Angeles Clippers squad that didn’t have a true star and yet gave the Golden State Warriors a scare in the first round of the playoffs. And now, Rivers is putting the shorthanded Bucks in positions to succeed. He may transmit nervous energy at the helm especially when a team is facing pressure to win

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