Before becoming the head coach of multiple NBA teams—including currently the Milwaukee Bucks—Doc Rivers had a long playing career in the league. With more than 40 years in the NBA as both a player and coach, Rivers has seen the evolution of the game up close. That perspective allows him to compare eras and evaluate which teams truly stood out. Now, he has shared which team he believes was the most dominant defensively.
In a June 2025 conversation with Bill Simmons, Rivers pointed to the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s as the gold standard on defense. “Listen, I played against all of them. And that one year with the Bulls, Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan. I mean, those are four elite, elite, elite defenders. I don’t think there was a better defensive team than that with their size and quickness,” Doc said.
Rivers was referring to the 1995–96 season, which was his final year in the NBA before retiring at age 35 with the San Antonio Spurs. That season, Chicago captured the NBA title with a performance many still consider the best in league history.
The Bulls dominated the regular season with a 72–10 record—a league-best at the time until the Golden State Warriors went 73–9 in 2016. That championship also marked the start of Chicago’s second three-peat, following their first run from 1991 to 1993.
Michael Jordan discusses strategy with teammates Ron Harper and Scottie Pippen during the fourth quarter of game two in the 1996 NBA Finals at the United Center.
Rivers breaks down the Bulls’ defense
Rivers elaborated on what made that Chicago team stand out defensively. “One of the things that the Bulls did that I don’t think any other team has ever done in the history of the game is the way they trap,” he explained.
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“The Bulls would actually send a guy to the sideline, and as a guard, I remember this. You thought, ‘Okay, now I can beat him down the sideline,’ but the guy guarding you actually beat you to the sideline, and then you would turn your back, and there’s another defender, and you’re basically in the web,” added the Bucks coach. “No one’s ever been able to do that, trapping in the frontcourt. They did it in the backcourt. They did it all the time.”
While crediting the system, Rivers also highlighted the mastermind behind it. “That was Phil,” he said, referring to head coach Phil Jackson. But he emphasized that the players executed it to perfection. “They had four pit bulls that could get away with it and I’ve never seen a team do that.”
Rivers highlights other top defensive teams
In the same conversation, Doc Rivers also acknowledged other teams with elite defensive credentials. First among them was one he coached: “Our 2008 Celtics were tough,” he said, referencing the Boston team that won the NBA championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.
Surprisingly, Rivers placed the current Oklahoma City Thunder in similar defensive territory. The Thunder went on to win the 2024–25 NBA title, and Rivers drew comparisons between them and that legendary Bulls squad: “This team is similar. They rival it a little bit.”
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