Nba, Rivers sacked by Philadelphia. And there’s Harden to manage

Skip another important bench in the NBA after yet another wasted opportunity in the postseason. This time it’s up to Doc Rivers who separates from the 76ers, and objectively we can’t be surprised that much. Once again the coach who won the NBA title in 2008 at the helm of the Celtics comes out downsized from a series in which he managed to take the lead. Rivers not only has an unenviable 16-33 record after racking up at least three wins in one series, but he squandered a 3-1 lead on three occasions, which has only happened 13 times in NBA history. This blemish on the resume of a highly respected coach in the league makes his firing an almost foregone conclusion after the bad showing of Embiid and his teammates in Game 7 in Boston on Sunday. In addition, Rivers certainly did not get great defenses from that James Harden with whom he never really bonded, who at the end of the game answered the more than obvious question about his coach with a little convinced “Our relationship is ok”.

Respect

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The 61-year-old coach thus ends his adventure on the bench of the 76ers after three seasons with a record of 154-82, without ever being able to go beyond the second round of the postseason. “Doc is one of the best coaches in the NBA, a Hall of Famer, a person I have great respect for – underlines the Philadelphia puppeteer Daryl Morey – We are grateful to him for what he has done in these three years and for the important impact he has had on the deductible”. A hot offseason is therefore announced for the 76ers, a team that definitely aims at the big target but must first find a new leader and then resolve the Harden issue. The first rumors say that the candidates for the Philadelphia bench will be many, starting with the newly fired prestigious coaches like Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams and Nick Nurse, up to a dot of Morey like Mike D’Antoni. Harden, on the other hand, can become a free agent in July by rejecting the $35.6 million “player option” for next season and then decide whether to extend with Philadelphia or maybe even return to Houston, as recurring rumors have been claiming for months.