Sixers show appreciation for Doc Rivers ahead of his return with Milwaukee

Rivers will make his return to the Wells Fargo Center Sunday for the first time since he was fired on May 16, 2023.

Published Feb. 25, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

The popular belief is that it was all Doc Rivers’ fault.

Despite having two seasons left on a five-year, $40-million deal, the 76ers fired one of the league’s all-time winningest coaches on May 16.

This came two days after Rivers received a lot of the blame for the Sixers’ 112-88 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden. It marked the third consecutive season that his Sixers suffered a second-round postseason exit.

They lost in seven games in 2021 to the Atlanta Hawks before losing in six games in 2022 to the Miami Heat.

Like the 2021 squad, last season’s team had a chance, on paper, to compete for an NBA title. Yet it looked like the team quit in the second half of Game 7. The Sixers appeared clueless and lacked effort and mental toughness — all things Rivers was hired to bring to Philly.

“We feel like this was the right decision to move forward,” team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said on May 17 of firing Rivers.

Now 285 days after being let go, Rivers leads the Milwaukee Bucks into the Wells Fargo Center at 1 p.m. Sunday to face the Sixers (33-23).

He replaced first-year coach Adrian Griffin, who was fired on Jan. 23 despite boasting a 30-13 record and being in second place in the East. Under Rivers, the Bucks (36-21) are 4-7 and slid to third place in the standings. Despite his early struggles, Milwaukee believes Rivers’ 24 seasons of head coaching experience, which includes a 2008 NBA title with the Boston Celtics, and his rank of ninth with 1,101 coaching victories, will ultimately make the Bucks a better team.

“Coach Griff was a great coach, a great person to work with,” Giannis Antetokounmpo told The Athletic, “but, at the end of the day, it was his first time. He was figuring things out, how to lead a group of guys, how to operate with star players, and sometimes, that might be hard. I think everybody did a good job.

“His coaching staff did a good job, too, helping him and making him adjust. And I think he did a tremendous job leading us to a 30-13 record, but Coach Doc has won [1,101] games. So it’s totally different.”

Sixers players don’t look at Rivers as one organization’s treasure was another one’s trash.

That’s because, under Rivers, they clinched the 2021 Eastern Conference regular season title. Their 54-28 record last season was their best mark since going 56-26 in 2000-01. And Joel Embiid’s game improved each year under Rivers, leading to him becoming last season’s league MVP.

The 62-year-old compiled a 154-82 regular-season record with the Sixers. The problem is he was hired to get them past the second round, and couldn’t.

“I appreciate Doc, you know? I really do,” Tyrese Maxey said. “I think one thing that I do appreciate him for is early in my career, like my rookie year, he made me earn my spot, and that’s gonna go a long way for me. I felt like I was good enough to play, but he was able to humble me and make me earn my spot.”

Rivers’ initial plan was to bring the point guard along slowly after selecting him with the 21st pick in the 2020 draft.

As a rookie, Maxey headed into training camp as a third-stringer, but worked his way into the rotation by the start of the season. Maxey averaged 8.0 points in 15.3 minutes that season.

“Then when the playoffs came, he told me, I’ll never forget, he told me I was gonna win a playoff game for us like midway through the season after I didn’t play for like two-and-a-half weeks,” Maxey said. “I was like, ‘Me? How am I gonna win a playoff game? I don’t play!’ But he told me that.”

And Rivers was right.

Maxey provided a spark off the bench, finishing 16 points with seven rebounds, and no turnovers to lead the Sixers to a 104-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. He was a game-best plus-12. Maxey was the saving grace for the Sixers on a night that Simmons wasn’t effective.

He hit two huge free throws with 18.8 seconds remaining to give the Sixers a 100-95 cushion

“I appreciate him,” said Maxey, now in his fourth season. “I have no complaints. Nothing. I appreciate him.”

Paul Reed, another fourth-year player, is also appreciative of Rivers.

“I just learned how to really be a professional,” Reed said. “Also just playing the game the right way. Making the right reads. Doing what coaches love for a player to do.

“For example, get the offensive rebound, kick it out. I had to earn minutes with Doc. He wouldn’t give young guys minutes. I just learned how to play the game the right way? It ain’t all about scoring.”

But on Sunday, Reed and Maxey will face the first coach of their NBA career. They’re looking forward to not only seeing him, but making statements.

Maxey has blossomed into a leading candidate for the league’s most improved player. Rivers also coached him Feb. 18 in the NBA All-Star Game.

Meanwhile, Reed has been the Sixers starting center with Embiid sidelined following meniscus surgery in his left knee.

“It’s gonna be fun!” Reed said. “I’m gonna have a chip on my shoulder for sure. … He trusted me to play last year in some big playoff games. So he knows what I can do. So I feel like he’s probably going to be more worried about me than I am about him.”

But one has to assume Rivers will also have a chip on his shoulder that comes with facing a team for the first time after firing him.