76ers Rumors: 'Murmurs' Doc Rivers on Hot Seat If Embiid, Philly Lose to Celtics
Doc Rivers reportedly could be coaching for his job when the Philadelphia 76ers take the court for Sunday's Game 7 of their second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, there have been "recent murmurs" that the coach's "status could become precarious in this climate if the 76ers fail to win their Game 7 in Boston later Sunday after the Sixers took a 3-2 series lead and then failed to close the Celtics out at home in Game 6."
That Game 6 loss Thursday was especially difficult for the 76ers.
Not only were they on their home floor, but they had a lead in the fourth quarter with Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the middle of a terrible performance. Yet Philadelphia couldn't put the game away before Tatum finally found his stroke with back-to-back three-pointers in the final five minutes, which gave the visitors the lead for good.
It was a golden opportunity for the franchise to make it past the second round of the playoffs for the first time since Allen Iverson was leading the way in 2001, but instead it went to waste.
That it is the eighth-seeded Miami Heat and not the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks waiting in the Eastern Conference Finals might make a loss in Sunday's contest even more disappointing for Philadelphia.
This is Rivers' third season as the head coach of the 76ers, and he is an impressive 154-82 during that span. However, he has been unable to elevate the franchise into a true championship contender in the playoffs, and a loss to the Celtics would eliminate Philly in the second round for the third straight year.
A blown series lead would also be nothing new for the 61-year-old.
In fact, he has lost a series in which he led 3-1 on three different occasions and remains the only coach in league history to do so more than once. This would only be a blown 3-2 lead, but history underscores some of his issues in the playoffs even if he did win a championship with Boston in 2008.
Rivers has coached the Orlando Magic, Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and 76ers throughout his career but could be looking for a fifth team in the near future depending on how Sunday's game unfolds.
