"Happy he is gone" - Stephen A. Smith proclaims several people inside the Philadelphia 76ers vied for a Doc Rivers exit
After three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and another disappointing second-round exit, the organization moved on from coach Doc Rivers two weeks ago.
On ESPN's " First Take," Stephen A. Smith talked about James Harden and Philadelphia's dissatisfaction with Rivers.
"In fairness to James Harden and others of the world ... believing that he got Doc Rivers fired, there are a plethora of people associated with the Sixers franchise who are not too fond of Doc Rivers and are happy that he is gone," Smith said.
The 76ers (54-28) finished third in the Eastern Conference standings, and Joel Embiid was named the league MVP. They ranked third on offense with a 117.0 rating and eighth on defense with a 112.7 rating.
In the first round of the playoffs, they swept the Brooklyn Nets. They shot 45.0% in the series, including 40.6% from 3-point range, and averaged 103.8 points with the Nets at 92.5 points.
During the second round against the Boston Celtics, the series went seven games after they failed to close out the series in Game 6 at Philadelphia. The 76ers shot 43.0%, including 33.3% from 3-point range, averaging 101.9 ppg, with Boston averaging 110.7 ppg.
In Game 7, the team looked like a shell of its regular-season self. The Philadelphia 76ers only shot 37.3%, including 21.6% from 3-point range. The team had 12 turnovers, while the Celtics only had seven. With their season on the line, the 76ers allowed the Celtics to shoot 47.1%, including 45.5% from 3-point range.
Doc Rivers' playoff record with the Philadelphia 76ers
In the 2021 playoffs, Doc Rivers had the Philadelphia 76ers as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks. In the following postseason run, they lost to the Miami Heat as the No. 4 seed, a disappointing finish after acquiring James Harden.
In this year's playoffs, Doc Rivers lost another Game 7 in his tenure after going up 3-2 in the series against Boston.
Following the second-round exit, Doc Rivers talked about his future with the team.
“I think I got two years left," Rivers said. "No one is safe in our business, and I get that.”