Last night, the Philadelphia 76ers were destroyed by the Miami Heat. James Harden and Joel Embiid were not effective, all while Doc Rivers sort of rolled over and just allowed the Heat to win with minimal adjustments made on either end of the floor. It was a pretty embarrassing night all around for the team, and it elicited a pretty passionate response from none other than Stephen A. Smith.
“This is one of the most awful performances I’ve seen the @sixers put forth in a long time,” Smith said. “No effort whatsoever, from start to finished. Look like they just laid down, rolled over and said “we’ve got Game 6 on Thursday.” Guess they were looking for another overnight stay in Miami.”
This morning on First Take, Smith continued his passionate words against the Sixers as he went after the likes of Coach Rivers. In Smith’s eyes, if the Sixers lose in Game 6, then the head coach can pretty well kiss his job, goodbye.
“They played so bad that if they lose Game 6 … we both know who’s the first person that’s going to suffer. It’s probably going to be Doc Rivers,” Smith said.
Rivers’ job has been a hot topic of debate throughout the season and there is no doubt that some fans want him gone. Having said that, the Sixers could easily come back and win this series, so Rivers talk will have to be suspended until further notice.