Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers seemed just a little testy following his team’s elimination from the playoffs on Thursday night.
You can’t blame the man for being a little upset, losing in the semifinals definitely has to sting.
Yet, that doesn’t really explain why he was making statements that just didn’t seem based in reality.
"I worked my butt off to get us here. When I first came here nobody picked us to be anywhere.. I know what I did this year and I feel very good about that."
Doc Rivers talks about his efforts as the 76ers Head Coach after being eliminated in Game 6pic.twitter.com/YVhvT6V7MW
— Sixers Nation (@SixersNationCP) May 13, 2022
Rivers got fired up and railed against a question from Howard Eskin on Thursday night, stating:
“I worked my butt off to get us here. When I first came here nobody picked us to be anywhere. I know what I did this year and I feel very good about that.”
Rivers should be proud of his hard work, regardless of the elimination.
But what is he talking about when he said that “nobody” picked them to be “anywhere”?
What’s Up Doc?
The reality is that many people expected the 76ers to be somewhere at this point.
Even before the James Harden trade in February, NBA fans and analysts thought Philly had what it took to make it far into the playoffs and possibly reach the Finals.
Joel Embiid has been playing better than ever all season long.
Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey has stepped up.
Additionally, the roster has been populated with role-playing threats to support them.
Of course, once Harden joined their chances got even higher.
Rivers has been with the team for two seasons now and was brought in precisely because the 76ers were a strong team on the verge of true greatness.
People have expected a lot from this team for years now so saying that nobody expected them to get this far is just simply wrong.
Rivers is wrong: expectations have been high for a while and the 76ers have once again fallen short.
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