NBA
Breaking News: The Philadelphia 76ers have fired head coach Doc Rivers after three seasons
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated16 May 2023
After Philadelphia’s collapse in the second half of Game 7 vs the Celtics, change needed to happen. Three years in a row the Sixers had made the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, but made it no further than that. That is why the Sixers have announced today that head coach Doc Rivers has been dismissed. He finished with a 154-82 record during the regular season.
Over the last three regular seasons, the best regular season records belong to the Sixers, Bucks, and Suns. All three of those head coaches have been fired this offseason. That just goes to show that NBA front offices care more about what a coach can do in the offseason.
Doc Rivers was never able to coach the Sixers to their true potential in the postseason and that led to his demise. Making the Eastern Conference Finals this season was Rivers’ last chance to prove that he was fit to continue coaching the Sixers.
BREAKING: The 76ers dismissed coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN. Rivers led the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of his three seasons on the job. pic.twitter.com/WM0t4LhrAz
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2023
Doc Rivers has been fired by the Philadelphia 76ers
In 35 games as head coach of the Sixers in the postseason over three years, the Philadelphia 76ers have gone 20-15. Four of those wins came this season when the Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Rivers is an NBA champion head coach with the Boston Celtics in 2008, but only made one more Finals appearance since then.
The last time he coached a team to the Conference Finals was in 2011-12, his second to last season with the Celtics. Since 2013-14, Rivers has coached seven seasons for the Clippers and three for the 76ers. He’s lost in the Conference Semi-finals six times since then.
In his 24 seasons as an NBA head coach, Rivers has made the playoff 19 times. However, he’s only made the NBA Finals two times and has one title to show for it. That is still one more championship than most coaches, but Rivers has been known for his teams falling apart in the playoffs.
