Sixers coach Doc Rivers has now lost five straight Game 7s, as the Philadelphia 76ers were on the wrong end of a massive beatdown by the Boston Celtics, 112-88, in the do-or-die game of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series.
Doc Rivers has lost the last five Game 7s he has coached in.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 14, 2023
Rivers now has a 6-10 record in Game 7s – his 10 losses are the most Game 7 losses of any coach in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/9us3fsyQCi
NBA MVP Joel Embiid and James Harden underperformed under the bright lights, scoring a combined 24 points, while Celtics star Jayson Tatum broke the record for most points scored in a Game 7, dropping 51.
Embiid and Harden in Game 7:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 14, 2023
24 points
9 turnovers
27% FG
Not ideal… pic.twitter.com/WbKxkz2Gjk
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Doc Rivers Loses Another Elimination Game
The 61-year-old tactician has a rich history of coming up short in elimination games.
The loss is the latest among Doc Rivers-coached teams losing the series while being up 3-1 or 3-2.
Doc Rivers has coached SEVEN teams that have blown 3-1 or 3-2 series leads 😳 pic.twitter.com/7KtLtbKPxa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 15, 2023
During the NBA bubble in 2020, the Los Angeles Clippers, then coached by Rivers, infamously blew a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. Rivers immediately stepped down as Clippers coach after the embarrassing loss.
The most important series lead that Rivers blew was during the 2010 NBA Finals when he was coaching the Boston Celtics against their fierce rivals Los Angeles Lakers.
After going up 3-2 following a gritty Game 5 win in Boston, the Celtics proceeded to lose the next two games in Los Angeles to hand Kobe Bryant his fifth and final championship.
Rivers holds the record for most losses in Game 7 by a coach with 10. That's five more than any other coach in NBA history.
He intends to coach the Sixers next year, although he stated that "no one is safe" in the business amid firings among coaches who recently led their teams to successful runs.
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