Coach Doc Rivers has seriously pulled things around. At the beginning of the season, it looked like Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co. had found themselves trapped in a reluctant situation. However, the veteran coach shifted momentum and put the Milwaukee Bucks again on the map. On Tuesday, he further solidified it, qualifying for the NBA Cup semifinals after defeating the Orlando Magic. Most importantly, he gave credit to two people. One was for Bobby Portis and the other for himself, highlighting a special move at halftime.

Firstly, we have to give it up for the Florida side. The team without their two offensive leaders, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, put up a fighting effort, spearheaded by Jalen Suggs. Nevertheless, the Magic had always been known for their defensive prowess. But tonight, the team seemed to have lacked on that front, as per Doc Rivers. Importantly, he did blame his own side for lacking defensively at least until the first half.

Following that, Rivers did his magic in the locker room with a special message motivating his players to get ready for the trip to Vegas. It was not to party but to participate in the semi-final. Speaking of it, he said, “I don’t think either coach was very happy defensively. I told our guys. I said, ‘The first team that plays defense goes to Vegas. Bottom line. And we were that.” Guess what, the Bucks pulled their defensive strings right in the second half, restricting the Magic’s shooting percentage to 44%, as per Rivers.

Meanwhile, only the halftime strategy wasn’t enough for the Bucks to make things sparkle. The team needed an in-form Bobby Portis. The star forward from the bench struggled throughout the season, shooting at only 32.4% from the field. On Tuesday, Portis seemed to have overcome his mental block, as Rivers said, “He’s just playing great. His emotions are in the right place. His focus is right you can see his energy the last two games he’s been fantastic without Bobby we’d be in trouble.” However, a few nights ago, Rivers had something different to say about Portis.

Bobby Portis earns Doc Rivers’ respect

As we pointed out earlier, Bobby Portis didn’t have a great season so far. To be precise, the forward turned into a liability, who was once a revered hero for the Wisconsin fans. Moreover, he even got a piece of Rivers’ mind after a loss.

While Rivers already has a reputation for putting the blame on players after losing games, that time, it was different. After a close fight and loss against the Celtics in a regular season game this season, Rivers lashed out during the pressers. Especially on the bench unit. Portis, being the leader of the second unit, took his fair share of the blame.

Rivers said, “I don’t like moral victories but I just thought that’s what we can be you know at least for three-quarters thought we kind of you know ran out of gas a little didn’t get a lot of help tonight from our bench so we extended minutes.” Notably, Portis dropped only 4 points in 19 minutes.

Nevertheless, the star played when it mattered the most. On Tuesday, he dropped 22 points with 10 rebounds, helping Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s case for the NBA Cup. Will they win the cup for the short league? Let us know in the comments.