Doc Rivers is finally back to the post-game pressers podium as a winner! The 2008 NBA Champion coach always faced criticism for taking responsibility and blaming others for the losses. Well, tonight, he didn’t find the need to do it, as the Milwaukee Bucks finally broke their 6-game losing streak. Moreover, the 63-year-old appeared more enthusiastic than his usual pressers. And responding to a question regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s health, it seemed like Rivers made an implicit statement. Did he fire a shot at Joel Embiid?

We all know Joel Embiid has been making it to the headlines over the last few days, despite not playing a single game this season. Recently, the big man took over the NBA world with the Marcus Hayes controversy. Here, we aren’t discussing about it. Instead, we’re going a few more days back when Embiid made a concerning statement about his health. The Sixers star said, “If I had to guess, I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career,” as he recovered from his knee injury.

While the debates surrounding this statement died down, it caught our attention once again after Rivers’ statement. One of the reporters asked if Giannis Antetokounmpo would play tomorrow in the back-to-back against the Knicks. The coach replied, “He’ll be available, I think. I haven’t looked at the injury report, so I have to wait for that.” However, he didn’t stop at that. He further said, “But he’s not gonna not play in back to back (only if) there’s something wrong, may be different, and he only played 30 minutes tonight.” 

It’s safe to say that the conversations and debates around the ‘back-to-back game’ suddenly rose after Joel Embiid dropped the jarring health update. So, Rivers’ implication on “He’s not gonna not play in back to back (only if) there’s something wrong” could be an extension of the Embiid debate. But did he take a shot at the big man? I’d say no. 

Is Doc Rivers not scared about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s fitness?

The Greek Freak has a history of annoying injuries that occur exactly around the postseason. Importantly, the Bucks lost their last two playoff series due to Giannis’ absence. So, of course, Doc Rivers must be scared of Giannis’ fitness. Moreover, the champion coach once expressed his concern in a hilarious fashion.

The coach became so concerned about his superstar’s fitness that he wanted him to lose the Paris Olympics. So, during the off-season, Giannis represented Greece in the Paris Olympics. Even though the Greek side didn’t make much noise in the tournament, the big man fought his heart out to qualify his team for the big stage.

Speaking of his performance in a podcast, Rivers seemed concerned about only one thing. He said, “Oh my god! There was one fall in the first game and he (Giannis) went down hard. And me and John H, we sitting there like, ‘This cannot happen’. He pops up but after that fall, I swear, I was thinking, ‘Come on! Two more losses and we should get out of here.” Nevertheless, the superstar has survived without any injury. Will this fitness continue throughout the season? Or do they have to consider benching him on back-to-backs? Let us know!