In an expected turn of events, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to fire coach Doc Rivers.
Rivers and the Sixers wasted two chances of knocking down the Boston Celtics and moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals, and that has been his blueprint for the better part of his career now.
That’s why Colin Cowherd also wasn’t surprised to see the 61-year-old coach getting the boot.
.@ColinCowherd reacts to Sixers parting ways with Doc Rivers pic.twitter.com/77DNH5aUq3
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) May 16, 2023
Cowherd deemed Rivers as a “culture coach,” citing that he can help a team turn its culture around and establish a defensive identity.
However, he added that he’s unlikely to get another coaching gig at his age, mostly because he’s not great at making adjustments, and his teams are always good, not great.
Cowherd also said that you’re not going to get those in-game or in-series tweaks you get from guys like Erik Spoelstra or Steve Kerr with Rivers as your coach, and that has become more than evident at this point in his career.
Rivers’ teams have always followed that same pattern.
Moreover, he’s thrown his players under the bus multiple times, which is why some don’t seem to actually enjoy playing for him in the first place.
Rivers has blown more playoff series leads than any other coach in NBA history, and he also owns the record for the most Game 7 losses and losses in series-clinching games.
It’s hard to come back from that sort of narrative, so it’s hard to envision him drawing interest despite there being multiple openings in the league right now.
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