After the regular season, two NBA coaches lost their jobs. Since then, four more have been fired, including Doc Rivers.
BREAKING: The 76ers dismissed coach Doc Rivers on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN. Rivers led the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of his three seasons on the job. pic.twitter.com/WM0t4LhrAz
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2023
The 76ers dismissed Rivers after three seasons — and three second-round losses — in Philadelphia. Rivers lost his fifth straight Game 7 this year and his 10th Game 7 overall.
Doc Rivers teams have also now blown three 3-1 leads, four other 3-2 leads, one other 2-0 lead, and have lost Game 7 at home four times (five if you count the bubble).
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) May 14, 2023
He's now 6-10 in Game 7s. https://t.co/ha0spYfvUa
Only eight coaches in NBA history have won more games than Rivers, who led Philadelphia to the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21. However, Rivers hasn't made it out of the second round since 2012, and in today's NBA, that's doom for a head coach.
Rivers last won a title in 2008. Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer won it all in 2021, and he was dismissed when his top-seeded Bucks lost to the No. 8 Miami Heat. Monty Williams took Phoenix to the NBA Finals that same year, and he was fired when the Suns lost to the Nuggets in six games.
Winning a title two years ago doesn't guarantee any job security in the NBA. Frank Vogel lost his job in 2022 after winning in 2020. Ty Lue was out early in the 2018-19 season after winning it all in 2016. The only recent title-winning coach to keep his job is Steve Kerr, and even he had to make the Finals six times in eight years.
That's why it shouldn't be a surprise that 2019 champion Nick Nurse was out of work after Toronto lost the play-in game to Chicago. Four years ago is an eternity in the NBA.
However, one team's playoff failure is another team's playoff savior.
The Sixers’ search for a new coach is expected to include Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D’Antoni, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Monty Williams, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2023
Philadelphia is interested in three of the coaches fired during the playoffs this year — plus Vogel and Mike D'Antoni, dismissed in Houston after the Rockets lost in the second round two straight years.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Milwaukee is interested in Williams as well.
"I would expect Monty Williams, just fired over the weekend in Phoenix. He's a guy that I think Milwaukee is going to look into pretty aggressively."
— The Rally (@TheRally) May 15, 2023
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania updates us on the Bucks' search for a new head coach. pic.twitter.com/WzBruFUSHs
What's the takeaway? A playoff failure may cost an NBA coach his job, but it won't prevent him from getting another one — even Rivers.
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