The Philadelphia 76ers will stand by coach Doc Rivers for at least one more season. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said Friday that Rivers will be the team’s coach for the 2022-23 NBA season.
Morey’s statement comes a day after the 76ers were prematurely eliminated from the postseason. The 76ers dropped Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat by a score of 99-90. With the loss, the 76ers were eliminated from the postseason.
That’s been the team’s modus operandi the last couple seasons. The 76ers have entered the past couples as title contenders, only to prematurely lose in the postseason.
Despite Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level, the 76ers have not reached the NBA finals with Embiid. The team has played in the conference semifinals multiple times, but has not moved past that round.
The 76ers’ 2021-22 NBA season got off to a rocky start, as guard Ben Simmons demanded a trade during the offseason. Simmons eventually reported to camp, but did not play in games due to a back injury and Simmons’ mental health.
Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal for James Harden. The deal gave the 76ers another star to pair with Embiid, who averaged a career-high 30.6 points per game. With Embiid and Harden, the 76ers were going to be a tough playoff matchup.
The Heat proved too much for the pair—and the rest of the 76ers. Embiid went 7-of-24 in Game 6, scoring 20 points. Harden scored 11 points. He took just 9 shots during the game, and did not score a single point in the second half.
This story will be updated.
Source: sports.yahoo.com