After Game 7, The 76ers Allegedly Dismisses Head Coach Doc Rivers
After Game 7, The 76ers Allegedly Dismisses Head Coach Doc Rivers
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, has been sacked.
On Sunday, the 76ers chose their Eastern Conference semifinal series loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7. Philadelphia had a 3-2 series lead going into the defeat, but it was still out of the playoffs.
The 76ers tied an NBA shot clock era record for the few points in a postseason quarter with a 10-point third as Boston dominated Philadelphia 57-36 in the second half. Previously, the 76ers dropped Game 6 at home after being outscored 24-13 in the last frame.
For three seasons, Rivers served as the 76ers’ head coach. Joel Embiid, the league MVP and five-time All-NBA center for Philadelphia, captained a team that lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals in each of his three seasons in charge.
In three seasons under Rivers, the 76ers have lost two Game 7s, including the one on Sunday. As the No. 1 seed in the East, they also lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the conference playoffs in 2021.
For 24 NBA seasons, Rivers, 61, led the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers. He was awarded Coach of the Year during his time with the Magic.
In 2008, he led the Celtics to the NBA title, and in 2010, he again guided them to the NBA Finals. In 2012, he led Boston to the conference finals, where the Miami Heat defeated them and went on to win the championship.
The Clippers could only get to the Western Conference finals after having Chris Paul, Blake Gryphon, and DeAndre Jordan on the team for most of Rivers’ seven years in charge.
With the defeat on Sunday, Rivers now has five more Game 7 losses than any other coach in NBA history (6-10). Now in their fifth straight Game 7 defeat, his team.
Rivers is the third coach to be sacked in the playoffs due to poor playoff performance. Following their first-round loss to the Heat while holding the No. 1 seed in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks dismissed head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Budenholzer’s Bucks won the NBA title in 2021. Still, in his other four seasons as their coach, they could only get to the NBA Finals after having a team featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP and seven-time All-NBA selection.
After their second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns dismissed head coach Monty Williams. Williams, who was selected NBA Coach of the Year after the 2021–22 season, led the Suns to the NBA Finals just once in four seasons.
After a deal to acquire Kevin Durant in the middle of the season, they failed to reach the conference finals this year. Under the direction of new owner Mat Ishbia, the choice was made.
