(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-chan = NBA Philadelphia 76ers have parted ways with head coach Doc Rivers.
Philadelphia announced this on the club’s Internet homepage on the 17th (Korean time) and said, “Coach Rivers is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, but we decided that it was time for a change to achieve our goal of winning.” explained the reason.
Coach Rivers took the helm of Philadelphia in October 2020 and has led the team for the last three seasons.
For three years, he had a good record of 154 wins and 82 losses in the regular league and a win rate of 65.3%, but sluggishness in the playoffs (PO) eventually caught up with Coach Rivers.
Philadelphia lost 3-4 in the second round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, and also knelt down with 2-4 in the second round against the Miami Heat last year.
This year, Joel Embiid was also selected as the MVP of the regular season, but he also lost in the second round to the Boston Celtics in the seventh game.
In particular, Rivers recorded a personal career record of 6 wins and 10 losses in Game 7, the final game of the playoffs, and 10 losses in Game 7 is the most among NBA coaches.Except for Rivers, no coach has lost six times in Game 7 of the playoffs.
Coach Rivers had two more years left on his contract with Philadelphia, but he had to pack his bags midway.He is a leader who has won the championship game with the Boston Celtics in 2008.
However, even in the 2019-2020 season, when Coach Rivers was in charge of the Los Angeles Clippers, he could not shake off the image of being weak in particularly big games, such as failing to maintain a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets.
Philadelphia was selected as a favorite for the championship this season with Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxie.
After the 2022-2023 season, top teams from the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns to Philadelphia broke up with their existing coaches in succession.
