Like most sports leagues, in the NBA, there are tiers of head coaches. The current head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, Doc Rivers, is usually considered to be a top-tier coach in the league.
Rivers’ greatest season as a head coach came when he was at the helm of the Boston Celtics’ 2008 NBA Championship run. But since then, the 60-year-old has failed to win even a single NBA Championship.
In fact, since the 2009-10 NBA season, he has not been able to get out of the second round of the postseason. Despite that, he is still regarded as a great coach in the league.
While that might be the consensus, not everyone seems to believe that. Former NBA player Josh Smith once called out Rivers for his failures in a bunch of Instagram stories. Smith was part of the Los Angeles Clippers briefly when Rivers was associated with the team.
But he was traded by Rivers, and it felt like Smith wanted revenge for that. He did so by absolutely bashing Rivers after the 76ers were eliminated from the 2021 playoffs at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAOvcl-A7rE
It’s time for y’all to get on Doc Rivers’ a** now. He ain’t got past the 2nd round since he had them boys Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. He ain’t got past the 2nd round, get on his a** here in Philly now.
Smith continued, “Yeah, Doc Rivers. You talked all that s**t about Paul George and how Tyronn Lue is gonna have the same offense for that n***a. Shut your bum a** up, man. Your no-in-game-adjustments-having a**, man. Start giving n****s they real credit, man. That’s why your bum a** got that karma on your ass and you can’t get past the second round, man.
You did all these real n****s wrong, man. Look in the mirror, n***a, and confess your motherf***in’ truths, or you’ll never make it out the second round. ESPN, get on his a**, bruh. I’m on his a** tonight, get on his a** first thing in the morning.
I finally get why your wife almost left you, man. You don’t know how to make in-game adjustments. You don’t know how to make in-game adjustments. Everybody figured your a** out, man. You don’t know how to make in-game adjustments, man, and nobody really like your cap a**. Yeah, you losing your power, n***a.”
Smith didn’t hold back one bit while berating the 76ers’ head coach Doc Rivers. Although the video is over a year old, Smith’s points still stand.
Even in the 2022 NBA playoffs, Rivers was unable to help the 76ers get past the second round. If he can’t get over that bump next season, it could very well become a stain on his legacy as a head coach in the NBA.
