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Is Doc Rivers the answer for the Philadelphia 76ers?

By Pete Sawan

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 13: Head Coach Doc Rivers of the LA Clippers directs his team during the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on February 13, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 13: Head Coach Doc Rivers of the LA Clippers directs his team during the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on February 13, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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LA Clippers
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The Clippers Experiment

To get a decent understanding of Rivers as a head coach, let’s direct our attention to this past season. The LA Clippers were obviously right in the thick of the title race, posting a 49-23 record, good for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. That should be enough for most teams, but LA had championship aspirations in mind.

After winning the first round against the Dallas Mavericks in six games, the Clippers sought to handle the Denver Nuggets rather easily. After posting a 3-1 lead, the series looked like it was in the bag. However, Denver made adjustments, and the series flipped in their favor as they won in Game 7. As such, the Clippers let go of Doc Rivers.

However, the seasons prior showed that Rivers can coach with the best of them. Back in 2019, before Paul George and Kawhi Leonard hit the scene, the Clippers made the playoffs with Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley leading the way. They were a fun team to watch because they played hard and played as a team. They played for each other and didn’t let egos get the best of them. It was one of Rivers’ best showings as a head coach.

After giving the Golden State Warriors a run for their money back in 2019 with marginal talent, the question simply becomes why couldn’t the Clippers make a deeper run with a star-studded roster in 2020?

Now, one can see how exhausted the Clippers were and say they simply could not finish the marathon. Who’s to blame for that? Could Kawhi, George, and Williams be at fault? Did Rivers put his guys in the best position to succeed? Those questions are still up for debate.