Less than 48 hours after the Philadelphia 76ers suffered a blowout loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Sixers dismissed head coach Doc Rivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
In three seasons with the Sixers, Rivers had an outstanding .653 winning percentage in the regular season. That was outweighed by three straight second-round exits, with the Sixers falling way short of expectations with an MVP and former MVP leading on the roster.
Sixers fans anticipated the move and in fact, endorsed it, calling for a new bench boss to dig them out of basketball purgatory.
DOC RIVERS HAS BEEN FIRED RAHHHHHHHHHHH LETS GOOO pic.twitter.com/R2TkH7QA02
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) May 16, 2023
— OddSmokerSteve (@OddSmokerSteve) May 16, 2023
Firing Doc Rivers, while predictable, does absolutely nothing to address the most important reasons the #Sixers lost.
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) May 16, 2023
Rivers' firing is the latest of head coaches with regular season success that falls short of expectations in the playoffs with their respective teams. The Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer two years after he led them to a championship. Monty Williams was let go by the Phoenix Suns two years after they lost to Budenholzer's Bucks in the NBA Finals.
The NBA is a “what have ya done for me lately” business though, one that is unforgiving to a coach that wins 50 games in the regular season like he's eating breakfast in the morning. The Sixers needed to at least get to the NBA Finals if Doc Rivers wanted to save his job. Even that may not have been enough.
Questions loom now on who will be the next head coach of the Sixers and which players he will have at his disposal. James Harden could elect for free agency and if he decides to leave, Philly needs to find a new wingman for their MVP.
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