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.
