Report: Doc is out — 76ers fire head coach
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Doc. is out of Philadelphia.
No, not Dr. J, Doc Rivers.
The 76ers have fired head coach Doc Rivers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rivers, 61, was in Philadelphia for three seasons as the head coach of the Sixers winning 49, 51, and 54 games, respectively. However, Rivers failed to get the Sixers past the second round of the playoffs, blowing a 3-2 semifinals series lead to the Boston Celtics this last season. That was the dagger.
After winning an NBA Championship in 2007-08 as the head coach of the Celtics, Rivers has struggled as head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sixers blowing a 3-1 series lead three times and going 6-10 in Game 7s. Rivers is 17-33 in games where his team had a chance to clinch a playoff series. Cannot have that for a team that is championship or bust like Philadelphia.
Joe Embiid, however, did have his best regular season this past campaign under Rivers, winning MVP. But when it mattered most, Embiid, James Harden, and the Sixers crumbled. Embiid’s scoring dropped from 33.1 points per game in the regular season to 23.7 points per game in the playoffs, the largest drop-off for an MVP in NBA history.
Possible replacements for Rivers are expected to include Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D’Antoni, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel, and Monty Williams, according to Wojnarowski. Those are a lot of good-looking names. This should be interesting what route the Sixers go.
Wow! I cannot believe the 76ers fired Doc Rivers. I know they lost and didn’t make it to the end but still what a surprising move. Now the question will be… Who will replace him? I really didn’t expect this move coming. I am shocked that they fired Doc Rivers.