Coming into Sunday’s Game 7 against the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers failed to close the door on Jayson Tatum and company in Game 6, setting up a winner-take-all showdown at TD Garden, which didn’t bode well for head coach Doc Rivers and his squad.
Ultimately, Tatum went on to have the best game of his NBA career, as he torched the 76ers for 51 points, which set the record for the most points scored in a Game 7, topping Stephen Curry’s 50 against the Sacramento Kings a few weeks ago.
By halftime, the writing was on the wall in Boston that the 76ers would be sent back to Philadelphia empty-handed, with another series lead blown by Rivers.
Although Joel Embiid and James Harden may have a few more years as a dynamic duo in Philadelphia, Rivers may have coached his last game for the 76ers, which he addressed after Game 7 via NBA Central.
Doc Rivers plans to coach the Sixers next year pic.twitter.com/x0VLtUy4mQ
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 14, 2023
Although Rivers fully intends to return as head coach of the 76ers, the veteran coach knows that his immediate future with the team is entirely out of his hands, as no one is safe in his position in the NBA.
Rivers is right on the money with this statement, as two prominent head coaches in the league that made the playoffs have already been let go by their respective teams.
Mike Budenholzer was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks following a disappointing first-round exit while the Phoenix Suns fired Monty Williams over the weekend after the top-seeded Denver Nuggets eliminated the team.
If Rivers is sent packing, it won’t be all that surprising, but it will be interesting to see what the 76ers do moving forward and where the veteran head coach may land.
NEXT: Doc Rivers Has An Unfortunate Game 7 History
