Doc Rivers

Doc Rivers Calls Coaching James Harden “Challenging”

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Doc Rivers was fired by the Sixers after a spectacular collapse in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Game 7 loss put Rivers’ all-time Game 7 record at 6-10, the worst such record in NBA history. While many saw it as unfair and surprising to fire Rivers, many more saw it as the right decision if the Sixers ever wanted to capture that elusive NBA title.

Rivers appears to be stepping away from coaching for the time being, after going un-hired by the six teams looking for new head coaches this offseason. However, he was reportedly one of the final candidates for the vacant Suns’ job, which was eventually filled by Frank Vogel. Despite this, and perhaps because of it, Rivers is now opening up about his time in Philadelphia. In particular, he is breaking his silence on his fateful final season.

Doc Rivers Criticizes James Harden

Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast in his first media appearance since his firing, Rivers got honest about coaching James Harden. “It was challenging,” Rivers said on the podcast. “James was so good at playing one way, and the way I believe you have to play to win, in some ways is different because it’s a lot of giving up the ball, moving the ball and coming back to the ball. I would’ve loved to have [James] when he was younger, when that was easier for him. … I thought the first half of the year we were the best team in the game, I thought James was playing perfect basketball, he was a point guard of the team. But he was doing more playmaking and scoring. And then the second half he started scoring more, and I thought we got more stagnant at times.”

Harden averaged a double-double this season, with 21 points and a league-leading 10.7 assists per game. It was almost an exact replication of his stats from the 2021-22 season, which is not great because he only played 21 games that year and played 58 this year. His future is also in doubt, as he must decide if he wants to exercise a player option in Philly. If not, that would make Harden a free agent. He has already strongly expressed an interest to return to Houston, despite how others in the league might feel about that move. But it’s no secret that Harden isn’t getting any younger, and the sort of basketball he plays is fundamentally changing. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.

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Doc Rivers Fired By The Sixers

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Doc Rivers is a head coach who has been hit with a lot of slander in the past. Overall, this is mostly due to the fact that his teams always lose spectacularly in the postseason. Although he does have an NBA title to his name, he has been part of some historic collapses. From 3-1 blown leads to various other breakdowns, Rivers has seen it all. Consequently, there has been this narrative amongst fans that he isn’t a good coach. Instead, he is a product of the Boston Celtics super team from 2008.

Having said that, fans came to his defense after the Sixers lost to the Celtics in Game 7 of the second round over the weekend. Typically, fans would roast Doc Rivers. However, James Harden and Joel Embiid were so bad that it was not his fault. It could have been any coach and those two would have found a way to stink it up. Regardless, Rivers has been made the scapegoat by the franchise. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Rivers was fired by the team today.

Read More: James Harden Roasted Over Questionable Outfit

Doc Rivers Is On The Market

Once again, Doc Rivers will become a coaching free agent. However, it remains to be seen whether or not he will get another job. He has had numerous chances over the years and has yet to replicate that success from 2008. Although, there are plenty of teams who could use a new head coach. The Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks are some teams that immediately come to mind. That said, Rivers will likely want to take some time off to reassess some things. After all, it was a stressful season that ended in the complete opposite way the team was hoping.

Moreover, this is going to be an interesting offseason for the Sixers. There is this belief that James Harden is going to leave the team. That means the Sixers are going to need to find a new star to pair with James Harden. If they can’t find that, then this team is going to see a huge regression. Let us know what you think of this latest move, in the comments section below.

Read More: James Harden Gives Joel Embiid A Rolex For Winning MVP

Doc Rivers Weighs In On Banning The Charge

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Doc Rivers has seen a lot of basketball. Rivers has played the game and coached the game at the highest level. Now, the Sixers headman is being asked about one of the more debated rules of the game. The act of a charge has changed a lot in just the last decade. What is or isn’t a charge seems to be a topic of debate during every game. Recently, fans have seen top stars injured in attempts to avoid a charge. On Monday, social media was in a frenzy over some calling for the charge to no longer be a rule.

Rivers was asked his stance on the league no longer calling charges. “No, not at all, unless they just want a 250-250 game… I think the only thing there is some of the charges people take can be viewed as reckless. And so they can review that. They can’t take it away, but they can call it what it is, it’s reckless. If it’s a reckless play it should be a flagrant. But none of those I think were reckless, it’s just Ja Morant can jump over a human being, and he tried to do it. That’s part of it.”

Doc Rivers Favors The Charge

Rivers makes a great point on what the charge is and its need in the league. Without the charge, players will be even more reckless when heading to the rack. Athletes are a different breed than when the rules of basketball were created. However, the charge can still be a necessary rule when used correctly. Rivers mentioned that charges could be reckless. Especially if a player is attempting to undercut another. But just as Rivers stated, a play like that should be up for potential review.

Don’t look for the charge to be going anywhere soon. Unless the league does truly want teams scoring nearly 300 points. Which actually may sound like a good idea to the league. The NBA has become an offensive showcase. But ending the charge could turn it into players having video game-like performances. Where do you stand with the charge? Do you agree with Doc Rivers that it needs to be in the game? Or do you believe the charge should become extinct? Sound off in our comment section with your thoughts. For the latest NBA news, keep it right here with HNHH.

Doc Rivers On Why His Clippers Team Couldn’t Win The Big One

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Doc Rivers is in a great opportunity to win his second NBA title as a head coach. The Philadelphia 76ers head man was asked on Thursday if his Sixers remind him of any of his former teams. Rivers answered that if it would be any team, it would be his champion Celtics. However, Rivers may have let the answer slip as to why the Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t win the championship during his tenure there. Rivers’ Clippers teams were some of the most talented of their era. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin highlighted the fast-paced offense. However, the team chemistry never felt right.

“Not trying to take anything away from that [Clippers] team. That team was never going to win… we just didn’t get along well enough as a group & you can’t win without cooperation.” Those were part of Rviers’ comments on Thursday’s edition of NBA Today. The former Clippers headman felt the team could never communicate on the same page. An idea that was always tossed around but never publicly stated by someone in Rivers’ position. The Clippers never made the Western Conference Finals under Rivers. A stat that still haunts the franchise to this day.

Doc Rivers Blames Chemistry During Clippers Run

However, the Clippers have found success in recent years. The franchise made the Western Conference Finals in the first season of the man who took Rivers’ gig as head coach, Ty Lue. Now the Clippers are once again attempting to make the journey to the NBA Finals. The Clippers will meet the Phoenix Suns in the first round this post-season. A matchup filled with superstar matchups. But the Clippers will be without one of their stars in, Paul George.

Rivers, on the other hand, may have one of the best teams he has ever coached this season. The pairing of Embiid and James Harden has been a dominant duo all season long. Now the Sixers will try to culminate a successful season with a ring. Will Doc Rivers win his second ring as a head coach? Or will another failed bid continue the storyline that Rivers has done the least with the most talent as a head coach? Give us your thoughts on the topic in the comment section. For the latest news involving the NBA, keep it right here with HNHH.

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Doc Rivers Takes Shot At Boston Celtics

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76ers head coach Doc Rivers had plenty to say about the Boston Celtics on Tuesday after a contest between the two. The Sixers earned the one-point victory, and Rivers couldn’t; have been happier. However, the Celtics style of play was on the mind of the Sixers headman. Rivers took a dig at his Eastern Conference rival. Mentioning that the team is known for flopping. Flopping has long been a frustrating part of basketball. With the recent policing of the action, teams have been more vocal on the issue.

“Knowing that the Celtics flop, you know that they were going to do that at the end; we said that in the timeout. Not paying attention when the guys on the free throw line, which is clearly, I mean, we had the whole gambit. So in some ways, it was a good way to win because it gave us material in a crazy way, to hit home about all the little points,” Rivers told the media after Tuesday’s game. The Celtics have been known as the team that flops for quite some time. Boston forward Grant Williams has been known as a “flopper” since his time in college with Tennessee.

Doc Rivers Acknowledges Flopping Issue With Celtics

No matter the flopping issue, the Sixers proved they belong at the top of the East. The Celtics are the current one seed in the Eastern Conference playoff seeding. Earning a victory over Boston should give the Sixers some great momentum as the NBA Playoffs begin next week. However, Doc Rivers’s comments could sting the Celtics fan base. Rivers spent many years as the head coach in Boston. Helping lead the team to an NBA Championship in 2008.

Rivers added more fuel to a well-lit fire between the Sixers and Celtics. The two teams have been rivals for many years. But when they both have the talent to win a title, it seems as if the hate grows larger. Rivers publicly acknowledging the Celtics flopping issue will certainly have Boston on edge. Is Rivers right about the flopping issue with the Celtics? Or do the Celtics do it just as much as any other team? Please sound off in the comment section below to let us know your thoughts. For more news on the latest in the NBA and the push to the playoffs, stay right here at HNHH.

Joel Embiid Drops 52, Doc Rivers Makes Bold Claim About MVP Race

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The NBA MVP race has been heating up over the regular season’s final weeks. The consensus opinion was that Nikola Jokic was set to be the first three-peat MVP since Larry Bird. However, a career season by Sixers center Joel Embiid has made the race much closer. Embiid has been in the MVP conversation for the past few years, even if he has personally shunned award talk. Even as Embiid stayed focused on winning, experts began to back him for MVP. In late March, oddsmakers made Embiid odds-on favorite to win the award.

Embiid’s most recent feat of heroics came against the Boston Celtics. Embiid dropped a 52-point double-double in a 103-101 win. The win kept the Sixers in the race for the Eastern Conference’s second seed. In regards to Embiid’s MVP status, no one was more convinced following Tuesday’s win than Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. Rivers is in his third season leading the Sixers, improving year-on-year in the regular season but never progressing past the Conference Semifinals. But with Embiid’s transcendence, could this be the year?

Doc Rivers Declares MVP Race “Over”

Doc Rivers didn’t mince words when talking about Embiid’s performance, declaring that “the MVP race is over”. It’s a bold, almost hyperbolic statement on its own, but Rivers was sure to back up his claim. “The man just scored half our points,” Rivers said while acknowledging that it was a difficult win. However, the veteran head coach was not the only person to voice their support for Embiid.

“Joel should win it,” said James Harden, who scored 20 points in the win, “he’s been really consistent this year”. If Joel Embiid does win, he would be the first Sixer to be named MVP since Allen Iverson in the 2000/01 season. The Sixers have three games left to play in the regular season. They face Miami at home before playing the Hawks and Nets on the road. In the standings, Philadelphia is third in the East, two games behind the Boston Celtics. With the second seed still within reach, Doc Rivers is likely to keep letting Embiid shine.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Stephen A. Smith Seguests James Harden May Want Doc Rivers Out and Mike D’Antoni in as 76ers’ Head Coach

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The Philadelphia 76ers seemed to be a lock for the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after being up 3-0 in their best of seven series with the Toronto Raptors.

Things are tight for the 76ers, who are now only up 3-2 in the series, heading back to Toronto for a game 6. James Harden has been struggling in the last few games of the series, and someone has a theory as to why.

On ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith suggested that Harden maybe throw this series to get D’Antoni in there:

Smith believes Harden may throw the series to get Doc Rivers fired and Mike D’Antoni hired. Suppose the 76ers can’t recover and win either Game 6 and Game 7 and become the first team to blow a 3-0 series lead. In that case, there is a big chance that Rivers loses his job, and a guy like D’Antoni could step in, considering his relationship with the 76ers general manager Daryl Morey and Harden.

Harden hasn’t been the same player since his MVP season a few years ago. In that same First Take segment, JJ Redick suggested that Harden has many miles on him and maybe be past his prime. If that is the case, an argument can be made that both can be true.

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