Stephen A. Smith: Doc Rivers Won’t Remain 76ers HC If Celtics Win Series in 5 Games | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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As the playoff series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics wages on, Doc Rivers’ future in the City of Brotherly Love is seemingly up in the air, especially if his squad isn’t able to put up more of a fight.

After stealing Game 1 of the series in Boston, the 76ers have been thoroughly outplayed over the following two games and are in danger of falling into a dreaded 3-1 hole in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.

While on NBA Countdown in the lead-up to the game, Stephen A. Smith reported that Rivers may not be around much longer if his team gets eliminated quickly at the hands of the Celtics.

“There is no question, with the noise that I’ve heard emanating out of Philadelphia for months, Doc Rivers will not be the head coach of the 76ers next season if Boston sends him them home in five games,” Smith said. “The only people that are safe there is [Joel] Embiid and [Tyrese] Maxey. That’s it. Nobody else is safe.”

Rivers, 61, is in his third season in Philadelphia and has largely underachieved with the organization despite having one of the elite players in the league in Embiid, who won this season’s MVP.

He’s coming off the best regular season during his stint with the 76ers at 54-28, earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. But if Rivers loses to Boston, it’d be the third consecutive year in which his team has flamed out in the second round.

And in a league where a championship coach was just fired in Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer, patience isn’t exactly a virtue.

So, even with a championship and being named one of 15 best coaches in NBA history on his resume, Rivers certainly isn’t safe from getting the boot if his team underachieves again in the postseason

There have been seven coach firings in the league dating back to the fall as Milwaukee, Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Detroit, Houston and Toronto have all made changes as well for varying reasons.

Rivers very well could be the eighth, according to Smith.

He joined the 76ers in 2020, soon after stepping down as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, where he spent seven seasons and had his fair share of struggles in the postseason as well.

Rivers also spent time with the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, with whom he won the 2008 NBA title.