Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Boston Celtics in game three of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 05, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
*Sports fans across social media are reacting to reports that the Philadelphia 76ers have fired Doc Rivers as head coach.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the firing comes after the 76ers lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Sixers were eliminated from postseason play after holding a 3-2 series lead. Rivers is exiting after three seasons with the team.
The “former NBA guard has been a head coach for the Orlando Magic (1999-2003), Boston Celtics (2004-2013), Los Angeles Clippers (2013-2020) and 76ers (2020-2023),” per Bleacher Report.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report claims Rivers is open to a coaching return if the right opportunity presents itself.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith weighed in on Doc’s firing, saying:
“I said immediately that they just cost Doc Rivers his job. I didn’t want that to happen, but obviously, I had anticipated it, and it’s really, really unfortunate,” Smith said.
“He’s been employed as a head coach in the NBA last pretty much last 24 years. We know his record, good and bad. We know the success that he’s had. We’ve known there’s about nine other coaches that have won over 1,000 games. We know he’s going to be a Hall of Famer, we know all of these things, but we also know that he’s lost 10 Game 7s. We understand that and he’s lost the lead on several occasions with a 3-2 lead, a 3-1 lead, and when your team, led by your superstar Joel Embiid and James Harden, are virtual no shows, I’m sorry, literal no shows in not one, but two consecutive close out games in Game 6 in Philadelphia that they could close Boston out and a Game 7 in Boston where they got annihilated, and your team flat out quits on you and then you’ve got guys like James Harden going on social media and talking about this about their relationship and what have you,” Smith explained.
He continued, “When Doc Rivers let you go to Vegas during the playoffs for crying out loud. These are the kinds of things where chickens come home to roost. Ultimately, those things are looked upon. You look at what’s transpiring, you look at whether or not you got the pulse of players, etc, etc, and you decided you’re going to make a change and remember Brett Brown got let go, because Brett Brown couldn’t get them to the conference finals,” Smith said.
“Doc Rivers knew the mandate was to get out of the second round and get them to the conference finals and then three consecutive seasons they came up short. So it’s not a surprise, unfortunately.”
Check out below some reactions from Sixers fans about Rivers’ firing:
After being fired twice since October 2020, I’m curious if Doc Rivers decides to just step away for a bit versus looking to jump to another gig. I don’t think this series loss was on him, but there’s only a couple of coaches with real job security.
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) May 16, 2023
Writing was on the wall for Doc Rivers after James Harden’s lukewarm endorsement following Sunday’s season ending loss. There’s a strong field of available coaches but the Sixers will have competition for them.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) May 16, 2023
.@stephenasmith reacts to the 76ers dismissal of Doc Rivers: pic.twitter.com/RC7cWG1hO0
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 16, 2023
This was the moment when I knew Doc Rivers was getting fired
— Antwan V. Staley (@antwanstaley) May 16, 2023
READ MORE: Doc Rivers Reflects on George Floyd’s Murder: ‘So Strange We Call it An Anniversary’ (Watch)
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