Over the past few years, Doc Rivers has become the butt of the joke among NBA fans. But it is undeniable that the current Bucks HC still has a strong impact on regular season success. Rivers, in his 26th season as a head coach, is only one game away from tying legendary HC Phil Jackson for seventh on the all-time wins list. Though he holds Jackson in high regard, he places one coach above him as the greatest of all time.
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Jackson won 11 titles during tenures with the Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers over 20 seasons. His ability to win establishes him as the GOAT in the eyes of many. But not to Rivers, who has a little bias in his opinion.
The 2008 NBA champion spoke with Marc Spears for Andscape about the significance of the impressive. During his conversation with the NBA journalist, he revealed the one figure he deems tops the list of the greatest coaches.
“Well, [former Celtics head coach] Red [Auerbach] is the greatest because I’m a Boston guy,” Rivers admitted. “I have to say that… I don’t know if he’s won more than Red, but those two are the greatest. Those two coaches are the greatest to have ever coached in the NBA.”
Red Auerbach is one of the most iconic coaches of all time, yet modern NBA fans may not be familiar with him. Auerbach is the architect responsible for the Celtics winning 11 of 12 NBA Finals from 1956 through 1969. That stretch included Boston winning eight straight titles between 1959-1966.
Aurbach’s first title predated that 8-championship stretch. In all, he won nine championships as a coach before transitioning to the front office, where he then won another seven championships. In total, he helped bring 16 titles to the city of Boston. When it comes to coaching, though, Jackson has him beat in the championship department.
Regardless, both coaches achieved remarkable accomplishments while introducing legendary schematics to the game.
Rives opens up about his favorite interaction with Jackson
Rivers and Jackson went head-to-head multiple times on basketball’s biggest stage. The two faced off in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals with Rivers coaching the Celtics and Jackson the Lakers. However, his favorite moment comes from his first few years of coaching.
“This was in my young days, I think this is when he knew that I wasn’t f*****g around,” Rivers said. “And he said, ‘Oh, you go sit down.’ And I turned around and said, ‘You f*****g go sit down.’ He looked at me. I said, ‘Yeah, just because you’re Phil Jackson…’”
Rivers’ firm stance earned him respect in the Zen Master’s book. Rivers recalled that Jackson approached him after the game and said, “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“He’s a good guy,” Rivers said of Jackson, recalling how the two became friends and would even chat on the phone about basketball strategy after Doc started coaching the Clippers. He went on to say, “They call [Jackson] arrogant. And he should be a little bit. But I love our conversation.” The two share a wholesome, respectful relationship.
Milwaukee will face the Nuggets on March 26 at 9 PM ET with the chance for Rivers to tie Jackson for the seventh spot on the all-time wins list for coaches.
