(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
As arguably one of the best veteran head coaches in the NBA, Doc Rivers, who led the Boston Celtics to their last title in 2008, was thought to be a good hire for the Philadelphia 76ers and someone who could get the storied franchise to reach its full potential with superstar center Joel Embiid leading the way.
Despite a couple of solid regular seasons with the 76ers, Rivers ultimately was fired by the team for failing to live up to expectations once they got into the NBA playoffs, as Philadelphia had championship aspirations.
Although Rivers had this team firing on all cylinders during the regular season, the postseason was another story, as Philadelphia was consistently overmatched in the Eastern Conference playoffs, leading to the dismissal of the veteran coach.
Fortunately for Rivers, he bounced back fairly quickly by taking a highly coveted coaching job with the star-studded Milwaukee Bucks, which might set him and the team up for success down the road.
However, coaching the 76ers, especially at home, still haunts him, as he made clear on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” via NBACentral.
“Usually, you play better at home. The only place that I thought it was difficult to play at home is in Philly, because of the crowd. I thought it affected our players some,” Rivers said.
Doc Rivers thought it was a little difficult playing at home in Philadelphia
“Usually you play better at home. The only place that I thought it was difficult to play at home is in Philly, because of the crowd. I thought it affected our players some.”
(Via Bill Simmons Podcast… pic.twitter.com/3pFumDvc5Q
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 13, 2024
Philadelphia is notoriously a difficult place to play and coach for anyone brave enough to take on the job in the City of Brotherly Love, as fans of all the professional sports franchises in the city do not take kindly to losing.
Rivers clearly had his fill of angry fans in the city and believed it impacted his players at the time, which isn’t ideal and something Nick Nurse is likely dealing with as his successor.
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