Despite boasting 1,154 regular-season wins, a 2008 NBA championship, and the 2024 NBA Cup, Doc Rivers’ legacy remains overshadowed by ghosts from the past. If you’ve followed his career, you know exactly where this is going.
Blowing 3-1 leads in the playoffs. It’s happened not once, not twice, but three times. Whether it was with the Orlando Magic in 2003, the LA Clippers in 2015, or again with the Clippers in 2020, his teams repeatedly failed to get the job done. Fans love reminding him of this unwanted record, but former Golden State Warriors star Gilbert Arenas has put a new spin on it.
Rivers, however, perceives this aspect of his career differently. In fact, he believes he deserves more credit for even getting his teams to three wins in those series.
“I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins,” Rivers recently told Andscape. But Arenas? He’s giving Rivers credit in a way that might sting a little. “Losing 3-1 leads in 20 years is NEVER gonna be done again in history [laughing emojis…],” Arenas posted on Instagram, attaching a video titled “THE GOAT OF LOSING 3-1 LEADS “TECHNICALLY”.”
As if Rivers’ reputation wasn’t already under scrutiny, Arenas’ video adds another layer of humiliation for Doc. The former Golden State Warriors star used math to prove his point. In the video shared on No Chill, Gill Arenas started by pointing out that once Rivers went up 3-1, there was nearly a 3 percent chance of losing, and he still did.
Mar 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers reacts in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
“Let me be fair. There was a 3.9 percent chance of you losing, which means when you went into game five, you had a 96 percent chance of winning a game… A 96 chance of winning that series. And somehow you manage to lose it.” But the ex-Warrior was not just done yet. Next, he wanted to bust Rivers’ defense.
For those unaware, the Bucks coach had pointed out that during the 2015 playoffs 3-1 blowout with the Clippers, Chris Paul was running on one leg. And the fact that the Clippers were the underdogs in that series against the Rockets.
“With Chris Paul hobbling on one foot, you win both games at home, which now, sir, puts you in again, a 96 percent chance of winning. Chris Paul’s stats while he was hobbling on one leg. Game 4: 22 [points] and 10 [rebounds], 56 percent. Game 5: 31 [points] 11 [assists], 52 percent. Game 6: 26 [points] and 10 [assists] on 46 percent. So the Chris Paul excuse is a non-factor,” Gil said.
Now, Arenas may have erred in the sequence of games as Paul was 22 in Game 5, 31 in Game 6, and 26 in Game 7, but his argument stands rock solid all the same. And it’s no surprise that the 3x All-Star would go to such an extent to counter Doc Rivers. Considering Arenas’ past criticism of the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach, this jab was anything but unexpected.
Gilbert Arenas once wanted Doc Rivers to be “fired.”
Back in November 2024, Gilbert Arenas wasn’t holding back when it came to Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks. With a team stacked with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, you’d think they’d be dominating. Instead, they were struggling to find their rhythm, leaving fans and analysts scratching their heads. What was the problem? For Arenas, the answer was simple—Rivers was “overcoaching.”
“I don’t know if it’s overcoaching, like alone just him (Giannis) and Dame should be able to win you games right?” Arenas questioned. “Are you literally have to be trying to really coach them? Nah, you know when a motherf**cker coach try to coach too much.”
He didn’t stop there. Arenas explained how some coaches tend to micromanage every play, thinking they’re helping when they’re actually making things worse. “Sometimes coaches overthink, and they wanna micromanage everything, and the micromanaging actually hurts your production,” he said. “I think this is what’s going on.”
PHOENIX – DECEMBER 19: Gilbert Arenas #0 of the Washington Wizards sits on the bench during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on December 19, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Wizards 121-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
This wasn’t a one-time criticism either. Arenas had already made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of how Rivers was handling things, arguing that the Bucks were wasting Giannis’ talent. In fact, he knew the exact moment when Rivers should have been let go.
“He should have been fired October 25th, when he lost to the Bulls by 11. That right there, it’s over, dawg,” Arenas stated. Clearly, Arenas has never been a huge Doc Rivers fan. No wonder he missed no chance at taking a shot at Rivers’s 3-1 embarrassment.
Mathematically speaking, Rivers’ playoff collapses are outliers – but outliers that define him. Unless he rewrites history, his legacy remains a cautionary tale of messing up especially when it matters.
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