Sixers

Doc Rivers is the First Coach to Win Both the NBA Championship and the NBA Cup

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Dec 18th, 2024 · 9:23 AM EST

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Dozens of people tuned in for Tuesday night’s NBA Cup final, which Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks won over the Oklahoma City Thunder:

The Bucks are the 2024 #EmiratesNBACup Champions! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TiOp0m1iX7

— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2024

Doc is now the first coach in NBA history to win both the championship and NBA Cup. All he needed to get it done was four superstars for the first triumph and then win a couple of games in November and December for the second triumph. Remember, you can’t blow a series lead in a one-game final. What a coach! Is he the greatest of all time? Would you ask Pop that question?

The Sixers, meantime, are 8-16 and 12th in the East. Joel Embiid is managing a knee injury and a broken face. Jared McCain is out indefinitely. Paul George has been in and out of the lineup. Doc is out here winning trophies while we can’t have anything nice. It is a cruel basketball world we’re living in.

Meantime, Doc decided not to celebrate on Tuesday night because he needs to focus on the rest of the season. There’s an important second-round exit coming up in April:

Bucks coach Doc Rivers told me after talking with Darvin Ham and his experience with Lakers last season, they chose not to celebrate The Cup championship with dousing and drinking of champagne. Want to focus on the remainder of the season. pic.twitter.com/CQ0J0aoeWz

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 18, 2024