Ex-NFL RB Doc Holliday goes on full-blown rant against ‘hot garbage’ James Harden after Sixers’ Game 7 blowout
James Harden suffered a similar fate in the NBA Playoffs this year as he has many times before. He failed to show up in the biggest moments, contributing to another early exit, this time with the Philadelphia 76ers alongside NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
The frustration around how this season ended for the 76ers has put head coach Doc Rivers' job in jeopardy. Many have been calling for him to be fired, essentially holding him respnsible for the the team's failure to advance past the Boston Celtics, his former team, and into the Eatern Conference Finals.
Ex-NFL running back and current sports media personality Doc Holliday recently took issue with Rivers receiving most of the blame, sharing this rant on his personal Twitter account:
"I hear a lot of people saying Doc Rivers needs to be fired, the Sixers head coach, because the Boston Celtics just utterly beat them down in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. But we know Joel Embiid played like trash. James Harden played like… hot garbage. Like he had forgotten how to play basketball."
He continued:
"Now we know that James Harden allegedly, reportedly, doesn’t like Doc Rivers and doesn’t want Doc Rivers to be his coach. But it’s Doc Rivers’ fault? Was James Harden motivated to have a great game? To help them move on? To help with Doc Rivers’ success? So he doesn’t wanna play with Doc Rivers anymore, but he wants to continue to be in Philadelphia?”
Serious question about @JHarden13 and @sixers Head Coach Doc Rivers! https://t.co/gyPccgwWqq
Doc Holliday isn't wrong that James Harden played particulary bad during this series, especially in Game 7 and in the clutch moments. In the final game of the crucial series, he converted just three of his 11 field goal attemptsand committed five turnovers.
Harden failed to score a single point in the fourth quarter of the game and attempted just one shot. This became an alarming trend in this series, as he was held to zero points in 32 minutes combined across the final three games.
Holliday makes a good point. With as poorly as James Harden played, it seems a bit unfair for Doc Rivers to be the scapegot for the 76ers' playoff exit.
How long did Doc Holliday play in the NFL?
Following an impressive NCAA college football career with the Memphis Tigers, running back Doc Holliday was signed by the Los Angeles Rams in 1996 as an undrafted free agent from the 1995 NFL Draft. He spent most of his time on their practice squad, but did appear in one game during the 1996 season.
He was released at the conclusion of the season and decided to join the CFL in 1997. He spent one year with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before ending his professional football career to pursue a career in broadcasting.