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The Philadelphia 76ers are in pursuit of a championship that would define the careers of several key figures. Joel Embiid and James Harden are seeking their first while Doc Rivers is after his second, which would help overshadow his long history of playoff embarrassments. All eyes will be on him and his decisions.
In an appearance on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show, Rivers discussed Embiid's dominance and some potential playoff plans. When asked by Max Kellerman if he will resort to all-bench units in the postseason, Rivers explained his philosophy for going with such lineups before explaining what the Sixers will likely do.
“It really depends on your team,” Rivers explained. “It really does. Everyone has different teams. You know, I did the same thing with the Boston Celtics and we won a title and got to the Finals. So, it all depends on the type of team that you have…It really depends on the health of your players and the type of team that you have.”
Now comes the part that may relieve Sixers fans of some stress. “I don't think this is a team that we'll play an all-bench unit. I would say this: [Tyrese] Maxey, Tobias [Harris], Joel or James — for the most part — will always be on the floor,” Rivers said.
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Rivers' rotation plan nowadays is to have Embiid play the entire first and third quarters while resting for the beginning of the following quarters. Harden fills those gaps by leading the bench unit to start the second and fourth quarters. Maxey usually rides it out with Embiid while Harris gets some run in the Harden-led lineups.
The most important stagger is with Embiid and Harden. The Sixers do pretty well with Embiid and no Harden (having a net rating of +8.8, per Cleaning the Glass), get by with only Harden (+1.1) and do horribly when they both sit (-6.0). Going even a few possessions without either of them would be a huge mistake — one that fans reluctantly expect to see from their head coach.
The contingent of Sixers fans who support Rivers is minuscule if it even exists at all. His rotation decisions and inability to adapt on the fly with regularity lead many fans to believe that the team can't win a championship with him, even with Embiid being as unstoppable as he is. Seeing is believing when it comes to Rivers' abilities to coach in today's NBA playoffs.
The Sixers' title chances look legitimate but the skepticism around Doc Rivers will understandably remain until he proves that he can lead this group to glory.
