“Already in playoff mode”: Doc Rivers faces NBA Twitter mockery as Bucks blow double-digit lead in his debut 

The Doc Rivers-Milwaukee Bucks era was not off to a great start, as the outfit had a new head coach as the Denver Nuggets handed them a 113-107 defeat at the Ball Arena on Monday.

The Bucks were outplayed by the defending champions, and one of the factors behind the loss was blowing a double-digit lead that allowed Denver to get back and capitalize.

Despite leading the first half, Milwaukee was poor in their second stretch, going down 19-26 in the third and allowing the Nuggets to make 31 points in the fourth.

Fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the loss, and one of them made a sardonic remark.

This was followed by some more responses.

The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo (29 points and 12 rebounds) while Brook Lopez (19 points) and Damian Lillard (18 points) hit double digits each. The Nuggets were led by Jamal Murray (35 points and 5 assists) and Nikola Jokic (25 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists).

Doc Rivers knows the challenges of taking over as head coach mid-season

A seasoned head coach, Doc Rivers stressed that he knew the challenges when he decided to ink a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks who fired Adrian Griffin, who was manning the team from the sidelines.

According to The Athletic, the former Philadelphia 76ers coach said he had never done it before.

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, I can tell you that, just from the day-and-a-half. But it’s going to be a challenge. It’s a challenge that I’m running toward. We’ve got to get organized quickly. Can’t try to do too much too soon. We’re in the middle of a season, so we’ve got to try to keep our rhythm. There are changes that we have to make, there’s no doubt about that. We’ll start working on it immediately.”

The loss doesn’t necessarily dent the Bucks’ championship aspirations. At the time of writing, Milwaukee is 32-15 and there is always a stretch of games where there is an adjustment period.

Rivers has been one of the best-known names on the circuit, given his stints with multiple teams and one of them won a championship in 2008.

To their credit, the Bucks started on a strong note with a 17-6 run, but the mistake, however, was defensive lapses and Jamal Murray’s rich vein of form that saw Denver claw their way back.

With a good 35 games left in the season, Doc Rivers doesn’t have a lot of time to work with, and he will hope that the necessary fixes will be enough to help the Bucks win a title.