Sixers coach Doc Rivers reflects on failing to get past second round again

There is no doubt Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers has had a successful career. He has a championship on his resume with the 2008 Boston Celtics, who returned to the NBA Finals in 2010. And he successfully turning around the Los Angeles Clippers and setting their winning culture.

However, there are a couple of glaring failures on his resume. One is his failure to get past the second round of the playoffs since the 2012 postseason in Boston. The Celtics blew a 3-2 lead to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in that round.

The Sixers held an 18-point lead in Game 4 of their series with the Atlanta Hawks and let that game slip away. They followed that up by building a 26-point lead at home in Game 5 and letting that one slip away as well. They then lost Game 7 at home to the Hawks, ending their season.

This has followed a similar script for Rivers and his teams in the postseason. In the 2020 playoffs leading 3-1 in the second round, the Clippers held a 15-point lead in Game 5 and lost. They held a 19-point lead in Game 6 before also losing and then falling in Game 7. His Clippers also blew a 3-1 second-round lead in 2015.

After falling in Game 7 on Sunday, Rivers was asked about self-reflection after another failure.

“That we lost and we want to win,” said Rivers succinctly. “If it was the same team, I would actually justify that question, but since it’s two different teams.”

Sure, they are different teams, but similar problems plagued Rivers. He did not adjust well against the Hawks. He continued to rely on his inconsistent bench unit, and he had a lineup on the floor in Game 7 that included four bench players.

With all of the talent Philadelphia possesses and the success it had in the regular season, combined with the fact that the path to a title was clear for them, this season was a failure.

“Listen, this team last year got swept in the first round,” Rivers added. “We had a chance to go to the Eastern finals. I’m not gonna make this into a negative year.”

To Rivers’ point, yes, the Sixers had a huge bounce back after the 2020 postseason. They definitely improved in many areas and Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Seth Curry had huge seasons.

However, the goal was not to get to the second round. The goal was to win a title, and Rivers stated this after his team got past the Washington Wizards in the first round:

Rivers and the team will have to look inward this offseason. This was as good of a chance as any to go out and get the job done, but they were unable to do so.

This will be a telling summer for both Rivers and the franchise as they move forward.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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