NBA Rumors: Doc Rivers position could be 'in danger' if the Philadelphia 76ers fail to progress
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics' Game 7 comes with a lot of implications for both teams, depending on the game's outcome. For the road team, however, 76ers coach Doc Rivers' job could be on the hot seat if they get bounced out in this second-round matchup.
NBA correspondent Marc Stein from "The Stein Line," recently gave an update regarding the status of the Philadelphia 76ers coach ahead of today's Game 7.
"There have also been recent murmurs," Stein said, "that Doc Rivers’ status could become in danger in this climate if the 76ers fail to win their Game 7 in Boston after the Sixers took a 3-2 series lead and then failed to close the Celtics out at home in Game 6."
There have already been three head coaches in the NBA that have been removed from their position with team owners looking to be aggressive in making moves for the foreseeable future.
The most recent coach to be fired from his job is Suns' former coach Monty Williams after dropping Game 6 at home against the Denver Nuggets. The Suns recently made noise in the trade deadline following the acquisition of Kevin Durant, even at the cost of trading away critical depth pieces from the roster.
Similar to Monty Williams situation, Bucks' Mike Budenholzer and Raptors' Nick Nurse are all on the job hunt after disappointing finishes for the season with Milwaukee getting bounced out in the first-round and Toronto losing in the play-in tournament.
For the Philadelphia 76ers' situation however, the franchise has not advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals round for five consecutive seasons in the Joel Embiid era. In addition, Doc Rivers also has a record of 16-31 when it comes to closeout games, which has been made even more evident dating back to his coaching days with the LA Clippers.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers on the disappointing Game 6 loss
During the post-game interviews, 76ers coach Doc Rivers spoke to the media regarding the team falling short in closing the series out.
“I think the whole game, I don’t think we trusted very well," Rivers said. "It’s a make-miss league, and they were 15-for-35 from the 3. We were 8-for-34. I would say we had a lot of wide-open 3s. We didn’t make them. I didn’t like how we played overall offensively, though. Down the stretch, gotta play through your big fella more. Didn’t think the ball went there.”
With the critical nature of a Game 7 on the road, Rivers and the rest of the Philadelphia 76ers will need to trust each other fast with their season on the line.