The 76ers fired coach Doc Rivers, the team announced on Tuesday, two days after Philadelphia fell in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Celtics. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Sixers’ semifinal loss marked their sixth consecutive year of reaching the postseason but failing to advance beyond the second round.
- Rivers has led Philadelphia to a record of 154-82 in the regular season and 20-15 in the playoffs in three seasons.
- Philadelphia has not reached the Conference Finals since 2001.
The 76ers fired head coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday. @employee Confirms.
Philadelphia’s loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals marked their sixth straight year of reaching the postseason, but they failed to advance beyond the second round.https://t.co/78mSVJmvU8 pic.twitter.com/Mo9xTdWFyx
– The Athletic May 16, 2023
the Athletec instant parsing:
What does this say about Sixers ownership
There are many reasons the Sixers parted ways with Rivers, but the precedent for this ownership group was already there. Brett Brown had three legitimate chances to beat the Joel Embiid Sixers after the second round of the playoffs, and when he fell short he was let go in 2020. After the Sixers’ Game 7 debacle in Boston, Rivers found himself in the same situation: 0 out Yeah 3. Reasonable minds can disagree about how much Rivers erred in a series that saw his two best players struggle in the most important moments, but he was brought to Philadelphia to take the Sixers even further than he was. This did not happen.
There is still a great deal of uncertainty at the start of the season, but firing a coach is always the easiest lever to pull and bring Rivers back after three untenable playoff games. Rivers said after Game 7 that he planned to return and still had two years left on his contract, but by that point, the writing was on the wall. – Hoffman
What did the Philadelphia stars say about Rivers?
When asked about Rivers after the Sixers lost Game 7, the two-star players gave very different answers. Embiid called Rivers “fantastic”, saying: “You look at the way he handled the whole (Ben Simmons) situation we had a year or two ago, he kept the team afloat. He was a great leader for all of us, a great motivator “.
But James Harden took a different tack when asked if the coach should come back, simply saying, “Our relationship is fine.” It felt like a short answer for now. With Harden on the horizon as a free agent this summer, possibly a trip risk to Houston, it doesn’t look like both Harden and Rivers will be back with the Sixers next year. The question now turns to whether either of them will not return to Philly for the 2023-24 season. – Hoffman
the background
Rivers, 61, was hired by Philadelphia in 2020 with the expectation that his championship experience would help the Sixers advance past the postseason hurdles they faced under former head coach Brett Brown. Instead, these shortcomings persist despite major overhauls in the menu.
Under Rivers, the 76ers traded Simmons for the net in a deal for Harden, Embiid was developed into a key player, Therese Maxe was drafted and developed into a reliable 20-point scorer and the team rounded out its roster with veterans like PJ Tucker, Montrezel Harrell and Galen McDaniels.
Dating back to 2008, when he coached Boston, teams led by Rivers have reached the playoffs in 15 of the past 16 seasons. But not since 2010, when the Celtics reached the NBA Finals, has a team led by Rivers advanced beyond the second round.
Rivers resigned as head coach of the Clippers in 2020 after the team lost in the semi-finals. The following year, under new head coach Ty Law, Los Angeles reached its first conference finals in franchise history.
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(Photo: Winslow Townson/USA Today)
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