Breaking down Doc Rivers’ debut seasons before the Sixers opener

Philadelphia is the fourth stop of Doc Rivers’ coaching career. He’s nearly 300 games above .500 in the regular season (943-681) but struggled in the postseason in the rugged Western Conference while he was with the Clippers.

Rivers, 59, has taken over for Brett Brown as the Sixers take the next step toward ending a championship drought that is at 37 years and counting. The Sixers are about 20-1 to win the title this year, and 8-1 to get out of the Eastern Conference. So it’s not like Rivers is starting from scratch.

Rivers is the first man hired by the Sixers in more than 50 years who has won an NBA title as a coach. Here’s how he fared in his first season at his three previous jobs.

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Why he was hired: Chuck Daly, the oldest coach in the league, had resigned. The Magic were looking for a 180-degree philosophical change by making the 37-year-old Rivers the league’s second-youngest head coach. “When the substitute teacher comes to teach, you challenge her or him,” Rivers said when he was hired. “So now, I will be challenged.”

Stars he inherited: None really. Darrell Armstrong was his best player.

That first season: 41-41. General manager John Gabriel tore apart the roster in hopes of building around stars. Rivers, with duct tape, banding wire, and four starters who were undrafted, still managed to finish at .500 and come within one game of making the playoffs. Rivers was named the NBA’s coach of the year. Ben Wallace was shipped to Detroit after the season in the Grant Hill deal, and a free-agency run at Tim Duncan failed.

Bottom line: Rivers was up to the challenge, at least initially. But with Hill never able to stay healthy, Rivers was fired after a 1-10 start in 2003-04.

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Why he was hired: Celtics’ boss Danny Ainge wanted his own coach, having inherited Jim O’Brien, who resigned midway through the 2003-04 season. He turned to Rivers, whom he had known for years as a rival when Rivers played for Atlanta and Ainge for Boston.

Stars he inherited: Paul Pierce.

That first season: 45-37. The Celtics improved by nine games and won the Atlantic Division. They lost to Indiana in the first round in seven games.

Bottom line: The Celtics were awful the following two years, but won the championship in 2007-08 after Ainge brought in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play alongside Pierce.

Why he was hired: Clippers players reportedly soured on Vinny Del Negro, and L.A. wanted Rivers badly enough to trade a first-round pick to Boston.

Stars he inherited: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan.

That first season: 57-25. Though this job did not require massive roster reconstruction, it did test Rivers’ leadership ability after audiotapes surfaced of owner Donald Sterling making racially offensive remarks. Rivers held the team together, even winning a playoff series, as Sterling was forced to sell the team.

Bottom line: Rivers took the Clippers to the playoffs six times in seven seasons, but couldn’t get them past the second round. He wasn’t dormant long as the Sixers scooped him up less than a week after he was let go by L.A.

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There’s plenty of angst that the Sixers haven’t won enough in the postseason with their young cornerstones. But perhaps patience is the key. Ha. Patience. In this town. Yeah, right. Didja hear the one about the second-round quarterback?

Odds are as of Monday, Dec. 21. Payouts (in parentheses) are based on $100 wager, though smaller amounts certainly are allowed.

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