Is Doc Rivers facing an early exit?
The Sixers fell to the Boston Celtics in embarrassing fashion in yesterday’s Game 7. It’s the third game 7 in recent memory where Philadelphia fans have had to hold back the tears as yet another golden opportunity has passed the team by. According to a report from Marc Stein, the front office might well have seen enough.
The report comes on the heels of the Phoenix Suns’ firing of head coach Monty Williams following the team’s second-round series loss to the Denver Nuggets, as well as the firing of Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer.
With a big splash in the head coaching market this offseason, as well as the potential of a Sixers’ standout assistant coach nabbing a head coaching gig, it’s not totally surprising that the team may want to shake things up in the event of another second-round loss.
For his part, Doc Rivers has been both lauded and criticized for his performance these playoffs. On one hand, he’s done a nice job trusting his players like Paul Reed, Georges Niang, and a foul-ridden Tyrese Maxey. On the other hand, his conservative nature mixing the lineup in the regular season may have limited his options to adjust to Boston’s physical style of play, preventing him from running two-big or three-guard lineups depending on the situation.
Doc Rivers is an experienced coach with his share of losses but also plenty of successes. While he hasn’t been able to advance the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Finals, there is something to be said for what he has achieved while in the City of Brotherly Love. All of that is bound to factor into what could be a very difficult decision.
Heather Khalifa/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
