Doc Rivers Doesn’t ‘Look Back’ With Regret About Leaving the Boston Celtics

May 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; As Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers raises his hands, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) pumps his fist as he celebrates a basket during the second half of Game 7 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Doc Rivers left Boston Celtics in 2013, five years after he led the team to its 17th league title. Since leaving the City of Champions, Rivers has played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and now the Milwaukee Bucks. However, he was unable to achieve the same success as during his time in Boston.

During a recent interview with Heavy on Sports’ Steve Bulpett, Rivers explained that he doesn’t look back and wonder what could have been had he stayed with the Celtics. The veteran head coach also noted that Boston is the best organization he has worked with, something that was evident when he joined the Clippers.

“That was the only thing that almost made me stay was I kept thinking, Jesus Christ, if I stay, we’ll get it all back,” Rivers said. “We knew we were going to rebuild, we were going to do it right. My whole business is nine years in one place, you begin to feel that you have been heard. But players change… The lesson you learn is that you can’t play through a bad organization, you know? I left the best basketball organization at the time to go to the worst basketball organization, and there’s no escaping that. And I understood it. Early on I told my coaches, ‘Oh my God, this…’.”

Now Rivers is tasked with changing the Bucks’ fortunes. He has an elite two-man tandem with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but the overall roster is aging and there are questions about their ability to compete with the best teams in the NBA, especially on defense.

However, no matter what happens in the rest of Rivers’ career, he will always have a legacy in Boston. He helped bring the city a championship alongside Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, earning him a place in franchise history.

Whether he can earn a similar place in the Milwaukee history books remains to be seen.

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Doc Rivers Doesn’t ‘Look Back’ With Regret About Leaving the Celtics