Doc Rivers' Firing as 76ers HC Celebrated by Fans After Embarrassing Loss to Celtics

Doc Rivers was given the boot on Tuesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers fired their head coach of three seasons after their disappointing Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Boston Celtics, the team announced Tuesday.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement:

"Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely. We're grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise. After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship."

The Sixers were eliminated from the 2023 NBA playoffs with a Game 7 loss to the Celtics at TD Garden. Philadelphia was embarrassed in the do-or-die matchup, falling 112-88, and Rivers was widely expected to be fired after the loss.

In his three seasons with the Sixers from 2020 to 2023, Rivers went 154-82. The team was eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals in each of the last three seasons, falling to the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat before Sunday's Game 7 loss to the Celtics.

Following Tuesday's announcement that Rivers had been dismissed by the Sixers, Philly fans on Twitter celebrated a decision that many believed should have happened sooner:

Luckily for the 76ers, there are no shortage of replacements for Rivers.

Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams and Nick Nurse are available this summer after being fired by the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors, respectively. Additionally, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson has been mentioned in various head coaching searches.

Whoever is hired as Philadelphia's next bench boss will inherit a talented roster that includes Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. However, James Harden's future with the franchise is questionable as he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent.