For years, Doc Rivers has been under heavy fire for his shortcomings in the NBA playoffs.
Other than his championship in 2008, Rivers has failed to find success despite having some stacked teams and a never-ending set of talent on his teams.
More than that, the fans have often criticized him for blaming his players after every failure.
Recently, he claimed that Joel Embiid should’ve gotten the ball more in last season’s series vs. the Boston Celtics (via John Clark and NBA Central).
“Maybe they were better. I thought game 6 was our game. I didn’t think Joel got the ball enough. Trust me, it was for him to get it and he didn’t get it. I don’t know how healthy he was,” River said.
Doc Rivers says Joel Embiid should have gotten the ball more in last year's playoffs against Boston
“Maybe they were better. I thought game 6 was our game. I didn’t think Joel got the ball enough. Trust me, it was for him to get it and he didn’t get it. I don’t know how healthy… pic.twitter.com/ENnFszHJTI
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 25, 2024
Rivers was the coach of the team, so he was the one responsible for getting his star player — and reigning MVP — the basketball.
The Sixers were up 3-2 on the Celtics and missed multiple chances to take them down, both on the road and at home.
This was the end of his tenure in charge of the organization, and it seemed to be the end of the line for him, as he left coaching to become an analyst.
Now, he’s gotten another opportunity to win another ring, this time with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
It didn’t take long before Rivers pointed fingers at his players after a loss, which prompted JJ Redick’s harsh criticism and demand for accountability.
He clearly didn’t get the memo, but he must be aware of the fact that he may not get many more opportunities if he doesn’t get the job done with this championship-caliber roster.
NEXT: Doc Rivers Gets Honest About 76ers Tenure