Now that the Sixers have been eliminated by the Celtics, is Doc Rivers a goner? Marc Stein wrote in his latest Substack article prior to Game 7 on Sunday that there have been recent murmurs Rivers’ status could become precarious if the team failed to close out the series. It wouldn’t be surprising, considering that proven coaches like Mike Budenholzer and Monty Williams have recently been dismissed due to postseason disappointments.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- With a wealth of extra draft picks and some solid young players, the Knicks could be in line for the next star who demands a trade, Eric Pincus writes for Bleacher Report. The salaries of Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier could help facilitate a deal, along with potential younger trade pieces such as Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin.
- After getting burned by trying to build around superstars, the Nets will be looking to build around players who want to stay with the franchise, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. GM Sean Marks will have a busy offseason but the thing he’ll be looking for the most is high-character guys who want to be part of the group. “It’s got to come authentically. It’s got to be real,” Marks said. “I mean, I think we’ve seen it before, not just here but around the league. You bring somebody in and it’s not authentic to who they are. We want to make sure people that want to come here want to be part of something special and being part of Brooklyn and part of this unique situation.”
- Former Pistons executive Rob Murphy and his legal representatives are firing back at the woman who accused him of harassment, Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press reports. His lawyer alleged the Pistons cleared his client months ago of sexual harassment following an internal investigation. The same counsel added that Murphy looks forward to defending his name through the judicial process.
Sixers will never make it out the second round. Ever again!
Sixers GMs need one word
Vision
76ers game plan is an issue
Big 4 plays 22 minutes per player before half time
All big 4 look tired in the third quarter
I trust Tucker, Melton, Niang, Reed and Milton
Trade McDaniel for future picks
The 76ers largest issues have been 1) Coach, Doc Rivers is AWFUL! He makes no adjustments, refuses to play most young players in favor of vets who dont fit the puzzle. PJ, is a great role player, but at 6’4 3/4, cant play the 4 against hasn’t guys 6’9+ who are 10 years younger also. Niang is a great 3 pt shooter, but below average defender, and he was the only F who came off the bench in the Bos series after game 2, when McDaniels- the only 76er w/ a + rating at +11, didnt see the floor again. Paul Reed is is better suited to play the 4 than anyone else on the roster but Doc hasn’t played them together for 1 min in 3 years. Reed shot over 40% from 3 in college.
They struggle when playing against teams with bigger lineups, and being outrebounded constantly (28th in NBA in rebs) and they rely on Joel to provide 33pts/game, if not, Harden, Maxey & company need to shoot the lights out. Tobias’ 39M is in its last year and while he is a very good player, he never fit positionally in this team lineup.
If they can move Tobias,and get 2/3 smaller contracts, they can make this offseason transition into a much better team. (Will elaborate further in a few hours)
Rivers absolutely needs to go. Those last two games were pathetic.
How did he shoot?
He was in charge of the players who were shooting and he exhausted them by the 3rd quarter, hence why they only scored 10 points. Doc has always been overrated. He needs to go.
They only scored 10 points because they choked. Don’t blame the coach. The players had plenty of opportunities to win this series but they didn’t. This one is on Embid and Harden. Chokers
MVP my butt
Yes Embid and Harden came up small but Rivers had no answers . This is his MO ( see Clippers)
16-33 record when his teams have 3 wins in the playoffs. That’s terrible .
Rivers career playoff record when his teams have three wins 16-33
Yeah, right. I didn’t realize that Rivers was coaching Harden in his entire career or the Sixers over the Embiid years when they all have failed in the postseason.
Yeah, clearly it was only Rivers since these players have stellar careers of postseason greatness.
According to Doc Rivers, no one in the room would pick 76ers to beat Celtics
When he replied to reporters
What does it mean?
My Understanding
76ers need a better roster this summer
He is not the problem at all
So, basically Doc is saying, “I’m not gonna out-coach anybody… I need the better roster!!!”
Harden & Embiid should get most of the blame pie ……… though replacing Doc with Bud or Nurse, should be welcomed by Philly fans.
The sixers have a flawed roster and are in cap hell. Poor drafting and brutal personnel decisions have now caught up. Tatum and Butler would look good in sixers uniforms right now.
You just picked philly to win and talked all sorts of smack while doing it.
And now you’re the voice of reason after watching Embiid and Harden get humiliated.
I’m also not blind.
You were five hours ago.
LOL. I love this!
Us Heat fans had the same situation with the Heat-Knicks series. There were certain posters in the Knicks fanbase that already made plans for the ECF. Then, starting after Game 1, started changing the tune. Then still were making guarantees through Game 3, but started backtracking again after Game 4.
I love those squawkers that have to eat the crow-flavored humble pie after yapping out their guarantees for victories by their teams.
Deal with it Knicks and Sixers fans. The Heat and Celtics are better teams who have proven to be among the elite in the Eastern Conference the last few years. Three trips to the ECF in four years and NBA Finals appearances as well, don’t lie. Win something before dismissing the teams who have proven themselves over the last few years.
Joel Embiid’s career stats in playoff games with his team facing elimination:
3-6 W-L record
22 ppg with a 38 FG%
The guy has never led his team past the second round and chokes in big games yet views himself as the best player in the league.
What if Jokic replace Embiid in 76ers uniform?
The entire Houston is talking about Harden tonight
rivers is the most overrated coach of all time
Embiid is a fraudulent
Congrats to Boston, they won. Embiid is soft, and we have to just hope Harden declines his option. It’s time to blow it up
no
Lol no what? We have lost in rd2 5 of the last 6 years. Embiid isn’t taking us to the top
You led 3:2
It means that you are good enough
Keep the same team next 3 seasons、 you can win one
Necause it’s a vast oversimplification to say Embiid is the issue and either way good luck getting value back for him.
I also disagree. Sixers need better role players. Embiid, Harden, and Maxey is a solid core but what else does the team have? Harris is a huge expiring deal that could facilitate a trade, but even without making any big splashes, the team is a contender with some minor moves and perhaps a coaching change.
This comes down to Harden for me, he simply choked yet again…
Doc and Harden have pretty horrible track records when it comes to choking, and they did it yet again.
Harden was outscored by PJ Tucker tonight. That should NEVER HAPPEN in a game 7 with it all on the line.
Now, it isn’t like Embiid had a great game either, but he also has to defend the post, and offensively he has to depend on his teammates to hit their shots, so he can get space to go to work.
Harris, Tucker, Maxey all played moderately well, but Harden was a giant fail both offensively and defensively, he just blew it..yet again…
It is sad really, I’ve never seen such a talented player continuously come up so small when the lights are the brightest. I honestly feel bad for Harden at this point, because it has to be mental..
There will still be people that will somehow defend him, even though he’s also had the privilege of playing alongside multiple MVP candidates, but honestly at this point, they are just fighting a losing battle.
Very good player, excellent offensive player, but you just cannot count on him when it matters the most. Well,actually, you can count on him, you can count on him to perform poorly..
Some players just don’t have that killer instinct in them, and that is something that James Harden clearly lacks.
Doc will probably not be back. But, as a made man in NBA circles, it will be done in a kinder gentler way than the most recent non-retentions. For one, I doubt its called a firing. They may even have to pretend to have some meetings to discuss who knows, but important stuff. After which they’ll be a mutual parting of the ways.
Could be something where he transitions into a comfy front office role..
So now do you see who Moreyon and Harden are. Teams would be foolish to sign Harden. He’s at best a sixth man. Plays Absolutely no D. And he’s got no hops or first step. The legs are the first to go.
Moreyon and Harden should go before Doc. HOFer my ares …….
Yup, all the booze and lap dances have long caught up with Harden – he may look fit, but everyone knows he’s not ……. just too slow and too passive.
Harden is sure to opt-in, so SIXERS are stuck with him for another season ……. not unless they find a schmuck team to trade him to.
Best worst big moment player in recent NBA memory…James Har_en.
I still get a chuckle when I remember the people who bashed the Heat for refusing to give up both Herro and Robinson along with draft picks and other pieces for Harden when those talks occurred. Even with Robinson having declined a bit since, that trade still would’ve bit the Heat in the rear-end.
I can’t imagine our locker room had we brought in Harden to play alongside Jimmy and Bam…with Udonis in his usual role of enforcer. It was going to get ugly. And when I say ugly, I mean metaphorically and literally…the literally coming when Harden would have to do interviews with sunglasses on at night – after reports of the Heat having a “hard practice” and reports of shouting heard from the Heat locker room when Harden and Udonis were the last two going up the hall before game time.
The amount of talent the Sixers have had recently and not get out of the 2nd round is pathetic
Almost as bad as the Warriors!
There’s absolutely no comparison there…
Either you’re a 76ers Homer, that got butthurt by the comment, or you currently suffer from some sort of illness that has affected your longterm memory.
The only stop Doc has been able to win at involved 3 superstars and one of the best distributing PGs in the league at the time. Couldn’t do anything with just two stars. He’s overrated and Philly should fire him tonight.
Doc Rivers is now officially on the Hot Seat!
Not with the Sixers… he’s done there.
But, with whatever team he gets a new job with in the next week-and-a-half…. he’s on the hot seat there already.
Same ending/different team… over and over.
Luckiest coach ever.
Milking that 2008 championship all the way to 3008.
Obi1 fits and works better with Jalen. Randle is the one that needs to be moved. I hope Rose takes control now. Cause I doubt Thibs will ever want to move Randle. Unless, maybe if it’s for another star.
Best start towards next season for Knicks. Will be for Mavs to fall to #11 in Tuesday nights lottery. Oh Yeeaaaaaaahhh
Al I’m serious were better then tht
All we need is a 2way star
Toronto has what we need
If we can get him and keep our starters
…it’s on
Stop with the foolishness about Obi he can’t gauad a light pole and he doesn’t have that much of a offensive arsenal either. You talk like Obo is the next coming of Larry Johnson. Oni is best a sixth man.
I hope the toxic Philly fanbase enjoys their empty MVP trophy and another early exit, that goes double for the Giannis crowd I don’t want to hear another word about how they are as good on Offense as Nikola and their defense is light years better maybe your GMs can find a way to hide your paper tigers with a trade or two
Sixers should look at Nash.
It’s interesting what happened to the process…
If Hinkie was still in charge the 76ers might be in a far better position…
The Celtics almost went the same route but had another team tank for them… Which has led to a better roster construction…