Doc Rivers, head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, during Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 11, 2023. /CFP
The Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday announced that they fired their head coach, Doc Rivers, after losing to the Boston Celtics 4-3 in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals.
Having taken over the 76ers in October 2020, Rivers left a 154-82 coaching record. He took the team to the playoffs in all three seasons; however, they lost in the East semifinals every time – to the Atlanta Hawks (4-3), the Miami Heat (4-2) and the Boston Celtics (4-3), respectively.
The 76ers finished the 2022-23 regular season with 54 wins and ranked fourth in the East. They had the league's fourth-best offensive rating and the eighth-best defensive rating. Their star duo, Joel Embiid and James Harden, were the top players in scoring and assists, with Embiid being named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Doc Rivers (C), head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, talks to his players during a timeout in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, May 14, 2023. /CFP
The 76ers were also the only team that swept through the first-round playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Brooklyn Nets. They even led 3-2 over the Celtics after five games in the East semifinals but failed to achieve a breakthrough in the end.
Many understandably blamed Rivers for the playoff elimination based on his record of losing key games in his coaching career. He has blown 12 series leads in the playoffs, including four 3-2s and three 3-1s.
However, it is unfair to blame Rivers alone for the lost series against the Celtics. The 76ers' flawed roster is why they can't assemble a consistent, workable lineup with reliable offense and defense. The majority of their payroll goes to three players, Embiid, Tobias Harris and Harden, despite Harden agreeing to a $14 million pay cut.
Jayson Tatum (#0) of the Boston Celtics shoots in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, May 14, 2023. /CFP
Rivers shouldn't take the most blame for losing to the Celtics because the 76ers' ace, the NBA MVP Embiid, was the worst-performing player in the final two games of the series. He had no idea how to beat the double-teaming defense on him; he didn't set solid picks or move quickly off the ball, and he couldn't make shots over the head of the defender next to the rim. Jayson Tatum kept targeting from Game 6 and drained several game-changing 3-pointers in front of Embiid.
Of course, making the head coach the scapegoat for failure is convenient for team management because they know they can always find a replacement. According to ESPN, Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D'Antoni, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Monty Williams are all on the 76ers' list.
Budenholzer, Nurse and Williams have also been fired from their previous posts this season.