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Skip Bayless believes Doc Rivers could get fired after the Philadelphia 76ers suffered yet another loss in the second round of the playoffs. The 70-year-old also suggested that Rivers, who has a championship to his resume, could be a great fit with the LA Lakers.
This is the second consecutive season that the 76ers have been eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Many expected them to turn things around after they levelled the series 2-2, but the Miami Heat proved to be too good for them. James Harden put in yet another disappointing showing in an elimination game, and although he will get his criticism for that, Bayless and many other analysts believe Doc Rivers might see an end to his tenure in Philly. Expressing his views on Twitter, the veteran analyst tweeted:
"Doc is done in Philly. Somebody has to pay for what Embiid/Harden couldn't do. But I won't be surprised if Doc is the next Lakers' coach. He's one of the few capable of navigating the politics and dysfunction and LeKing."
Doc Rivers helped the 76ers to a top-seed finish last season, but the team collapsed in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. Despite all the injuries and controversies this season, he motivated his troops and helped the 76ers stay competitive and comfortably make it to the playoffs.
Although his records show that he has not made it past the second round in more than a decade, there is no doubt that Doc Rivers is one of the best coaches in the league. The 76ers have an exciting team, but when a former MVP like James Harden plays poorly in the second half of a must-win game, there is not much Doc Rivers can do.
GM Darry Morey will certainly have a few big decisions to make this offseason. They have a franchise player in Joel Embiid, who is in his prime. However, the 76ers will have to put the right set of players around him to make him feel comfortable, and if they succeed in doing that, the big man will certainly lead the franchise to new heights.
Doc Rivers is not worried about his job
The Philadelphia 76ers had not made the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001, and to change this, the franchise decided to make some big moves after the 2019-20 season. As part of that change, they decided to hire Doc Rivers as the head coach of the franchise.
So far, the team has not reached the levels they would have liked, and this indefinitely puts pressure on Rivers. However, the 60-year-old is not worried about his job and believes he has put a lot of effort to feel safe enough about his position. Speaking to the media after the series loss to the Heat, Doc Rivers said:
"I don't worry about my job. I think I do a terrific job, and if you don't you should write it because I worked my butt off to get this team here. When I first got here, no one picked us to be anywhere and, again, this year the same thing. So if that's how anyone feels, write it, and I'm gonna feel secure about it."
The 76ers have a good team, and undoubtedly, over the past two years, there has been significant growth in their performances. Coach Rivers has not succeeded in getting them past the finish line in the playoffs, but he certainly has, once again, made the 76ers relevant in the Eastern Conference.
Guess the Lakers players!
