Why 76ers’ Doc Rivers could be coaching for his job in Game 7 vs. Celtics

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When the Philadelphia 76ers head to Boston for Game 7 against the Celtics on Sunday afternoon, Doc Rivers could potentially be coaching for his job. If the Sixers are able to best Boston, Rivers will almost assuredly keep his job, but a loss will lead to some organizational soul-searching that could beget big changes. 

There have been some rumblings since the start of the season regarding Rivers’ future in Philly after consecutive second round exits, and if the Sixers fall in the conference semifinals again, those rumblings are going to reach a fever pitch, at least locally. To say that he’s not the most popular guy amongst fans in Philly would be an understatement.   

Rivers was brought to Philly to help the team take the next step after three consecutive playoff defeats under Brett Brown, but to this point, he’s been unable to guide the team any further than Brown did — a seventh game in the second round.

Rivers coached the Sixers to the best record in the East during his first season with the team, but they flamed out in the second round against an inferior Atlanta Hawks team. In fairness to Rivers, the guy who was supposed to be his second-best player, Ben Simmons, suffered a personal collapse of his own throughout the series, and an injury to Danny Green really tested their depth, but it was still a series the Sixers should have won.   

Last season, the Sixers lost in six games to the Miami Heat in the second round, though they were without Joel Embiid for the first two games of the series — both losses. Had Embiid been available for the entirety of the series, things very well might have turned out differently, but we’ll never know now. 

That brings us to the current campaign. The Sixers finished with the third-best record in the conference during the regular season and breezed through a first round matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. Now, after a back-and-forth matchup with Boston, Philadelphia is facing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third time in the past five years. To this point in the Embiid…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/why-76ers-doc-rivers-could-be-coaching-for-his-job-in-game-7-vs-celtics/

Author : Michael Kaskey-Blomain

Publish date : 2023-05-13 16:30:29

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