The Doc Rivers Era in Philadelphia ended with a whimper, losing to his former team, the Boston Celtics. The 76ers wasted no time in firing Rivers, announcing his dismissal Tuesday morning.
Philadelphia plans to pursue Mike D’Antoni (a favorite of both Harden and President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey), Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Frank Vogel, Sam Cassell, and the recently fired Monty Williams, among other presumptive candidates.
This was the expected outcome for Rivers, whose three seasons in Philly all ended the same way, bowing out in the second round. That’s a hurdle Rivers hasn’t cleared in over a decade, developing a reputation for faltering in big games. Notably, Rivers has lost 10 career Game 7s, easily the most in NBA history.
The 61-year-old was all class in his farewell to Philadelphia, thanking the city in a heartfelt Instagram post hours after the bad news.
Doc Rivers’ parting statement: pic.twitter.com/6kRcnymRLv
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 16, 2023
Given his track record (ninth in all-time wins), Rivers shouldn’t take long to resurface, assuming he wants to keep coaching rather than take a year off as he did between jobs in 2003-04, spending that season alongside Al Michaels in the ABC broadcast booth. This could actually be a blessing in disguise for Rivers, potentially lucking into a better job with openings available in Milwaukee (where he went to college) and Phoenix.
We’ve seen an unusual amount of turnover in the coaching ranks this offseason with the Sixers, Raptors, Bucks, Suns, Pistons, and Rockets all opting for a change in leadership.
[Kyle Neubeck, Adrian Wojnarowski]
