MADRID, 16 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Philadelphia 76ers confirmed on Tuesday the dismissal of their coach, Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers, after the team’s elimination from the fight for the NBA ring after losing in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Rivers led the franchise to its second consecutive season above 50 wins, but again failed to get them to reach the final in the East despite having Joel Embiid, ‘MVP’ of the campaign, and James Harden.
“‘Doc’ is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer and someone I respect immensely. We are grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and we thank him for the important impact it had on our franchise. After having the opportunity to reflect on our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to advance our goals of competing for a championship,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey.
Philadelphia dominated the series 3-2 against the Celtics and had the sixth game in their pavilion, but lost and ended up being eliminated in Boston in the seventh, repeating the 2021 defeat also in the final game, then at home, against the Atlanta Hawks and despite having dominated the Regular Season in the East.
‘Doc’ Rivers, NBA champion in 2008 precisely against the Celtics, still had two years left on his contract and leaves the franchise with a record of 154 wins and 82 losses. His release joins those of Nick Nurse (Toronto Raptors), Mike Budenholzer (Milwaukee Bucks) and Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns).