The Philadelphia 76ers have fired head coach Doc Rivers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 76ers made the decision following Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The loss eliminated Philadelphia from the postseason after it had held a 3-2 series lead.
Boston outscored Philadelphia 57-36 in the second half as the 76ers tied an NBA shot-clock era record for fewest points in a postseason quarter with a 10-point third. The 76ers previously lost Game 6 at home after getting outscored 24-13 in the fourth quarter.
Rivers coached the 76ers for three seasons. Philadelphia was eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals in each of his three seasons overseeing a roster led by league MVP and five-time All-NBA center Joel Embiid. Sunday marked the 76ers’ second Game 7 loss in three seasons under Rivers. They also lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 in the 2021 conference semifinals as the No. 1 seed in the East.
Rivers, 61, has spent 24 seasons as an NBA head coach for the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and 76ers. He was named Coach of the Year in 2000 with the Magic. He coached the Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008 and led them to the NBA Finals again in 2010. He last coached a team to the conference finals in 2012 with Boston, which lost there to the eventual champion Miami Heat.
The Clippers failed to reach the Western Conference finals in Rivers’ seven years as head coach of a team that featured Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan for much of his tenure. Rivers fell to 6-10 in Game 7s with Sunday’s loss, five more Game 7 losses than any other coach in NBA history. His teams have now lost five consecutive Game 7s.
Rivers is the third coach to be fired this postseason following a disappointing playoff run. The Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after a first-round exit to the Heat as the No. 1 seed in the East. The Bucks won the NBA championship under Budenholzer in 2021 but failed to reach the NBA Finals in his other four seasons coaching a roster led by two-time MVP and seven-time All-NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Monty Williams after their second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Suns reached the NBA finals once in four seasons under Williams, who was named NBA Coach of the Year after the 2021-22 season. They fell short of the conference finals this year after a midseason trade to acquire Kevin Durant. The decision was made under first-year owner Mat Ishbia.
Services Marketplace – Listings, Bookings & Reviews
