The stats don't lie|Lillard is out 1-7: Rivers Sr. takes the Bucks to the abyss?

The Bucks lost 101-111 to the Grizzlies, having been double-beaten this season and have lost four of their last five games. The Athletic listed stats that Adrian Griffin had a 30-13 record when he coached the Bucks this season, while the Bucks only went 15-15 after Rivers took over the coaching whip. In addition, in the 8 games that Lillard missed, the Bucks lost 1-7 and lost to the weak team in a row. Some media have posted the past of Rivers Sr. being reversed in the playoffs, ridiculing that the time for Bucks fans to really hurt their hearts has not yet come. Will the 62-year-old Rivers take the Bucks into the abyss?

How has the Bucks changed since Rivers coached?

In the first 43 games of the Bucks, which were under Griffin, they ranked second in the league in offensive efficiency of 120.6, behind the Pacers (121.0), defensive efficiency of 116.8, 21st in the league, and +3.8 net efficiency, 10th in the league. In the 30 games coached by Rivers, the Bucks had an offensive efficiency of 114.7, ranking 17th in the league in the same period, a defensive efficiency of 112.8, ranking 12th in the league in the same period, and a net efficiency of +1.9, ranking only 16th in the league.

Rivers did improve the Bucks' defense, but lost the elite-level offense, and the current Bucks can only be said to be weak in offense, average in defense, and more and more like a team in the middle of the Eastern Conference.

To make matters worse, after Rivers Sr. coached, the Bucks' win rate plummeted when they entered a pivotal moment (within five points in the final five minutes). During Adrian Griffin's tenure, the Bucks were the team with the highest winning percentage in the league at key moments, reaching 18-6 and ranking first with a winning rate of 75%, while after Rivers Sr. took over, the Bucks' key record was 5-10, with a winning rate of 33.3%, ranking 27th in the league during the same period, and was reversed more than once. The Bucks' 19-point lead over the Lakers in the final quarter is a classic example of this.

Lillard won't play without the Bucks?

Lillard's absence has a big impact on the Bucks, but it is indeed an exaggeration to lose 7 of the 8 games that have been missed.

The data shows that during Lillard's absence this season, the Bucks' offense and defense have significantly deteriorated. In the 2,391 minutes that Lillard was on the court, the Bucks had an offensive efficiency of 121.4 and a defensive efficiency of 113.9, and they could win the opponent by 7.5 points per 100 rounds, while in the 1,237 minutes that Lillard was not on the court, the Bucks had an offensive efficiency of 116.0 and a defensive efficiency of 120.6, and lost to the opponent by 4.6 points per 100 rounds.

NBA Memes posted a photo of the Pistons and joked that this is the Bucks when Lillard was absent this season.

It has to be said that Rivers' ability to adjust is disappointing. This recognized "master of chicken soup" makes people seem to see only the pot. Previously referring to the Bucks' 18-20 record on the road, Rivers responded that "players lack the necessary professionalism and seriousness when they're on the road." That's what he sees as a problem, but he can't solve it.

And that's not even the worst old Rivers

Rivers Sr.'s current performance with the team makes it hard for Bucks fans not to worry about his playoff coaching. There have been media reports of Rivers' past series of turnarounds, and Rivers' team often encounters a situation where they won't play after a big lead.

From 2003 to 2023, Rivers' side have been overturned 12 times with an aggregate lead, with an impressive three 3-1 leads reversed and four 3-2 leads.

It is worth mentioning that the Bucks currently have to pay the salaries of Budenholzer, Griffin, and Rivers at the same time, and the first two were fired, but the salaries had to be paid as such. "The Bucks are only 15-15 in their last 30 games, and the number of head coaches they are currently paying is equivalent to the number of head coaches the Heat have paid since 1995," the Heat reporter quipped. "In the past 30 years, the Heat have only used three head coaches: Riley, Da Van and Spo.

There are already a lot of fans waiting to see the Bucks joke, if the Rivers Bucks are eliminated early this season, will the Bucks owners continue to change coaches? Are they ready to pay the salaries of all four head coaches at the same time?