Doc Rivers by the numbers — and how he compared to other recent Sixers coaches
The 76ers parted ways with Doc Rivers after three seasons. Here is a look at his numbers, both in Philly and before, and how they compare to his predecessors.
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The Doc Rivers Era in Philadelphia officially came to an end on Tuesday when the team parted ways with the veteran coach after three seasons in which he failed to get any further than his two predecessors, Brett Brown and Doug Collins.
The players were different, and constantly improving after the lows of “The Process” — although an argument can be made that Brown actually coached the best version of these Sixers in 2018-19 — so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that Rivers actually has the best numbers of any of the Sixers’ previous three coaches.
After all, he was the only one to coach a current and former MVP at the same time.
Of course, that improved roster is actually what came back to bite Rivers, as he failed to improve his team’s fortunes and make it past the second round of the playoffs, despite the Sixers breaking the bank to give him a roster that could contend for a title. When you win that many games each year and consistently post a winning percentage well over .600, second-round exits aren’t going to get it done.
When you combine that with a table showing the Sixers’ improved shooting, it reveals a slightly better picture of who was the real cause of the improvement — the players.
If Rivers was noted for being an offensive guru capable of re-inventing the wheel for Joel Embiid and James Harden to thrive at the same time, then maybe we could credit more of this to the coach. But the team ran a basic pick-and-roll at the top of the key. And aside from Joel Embiid, the player who developed the most during Rivers’ time here — guard Tyrese Maxey — likely owes more thanks to assistant coach Sam Cassell, one of the potential candidates to replace Rivers.
Still despite coaching the most expensive rosters the team has ever constructed, Rivers failed to make it any further in the postseason than Brown and Collins.
Rivers by the numbers
Here is a history of Rivers’ coaching by numbers.
1,860
Number of regular-season NBA games coached.
1,097
Number of regular-season coaching wins.
.590
Regular-season winning percentage.
236
Number of regular-season games coaching the 76ers.
154
Number of regular-season wins with the 76ers.
.653
Regular-season winning percentage with the 76ers.
215
Number of playoff games coached in his career.
111
Number of playoff wins
.516
Career playoff winning percentage
35
Number of playoff games coaching the 76ers.
20
Number of playoff wins coaching the 76ers.
.571
Playoff winning percentage coaching the 76ers.
16
Number of playoff Game 7′s has coached in his career.
10
Number of Game 7 losses he has coached in his career, an NBA record.
17
Number of wins in playoff closeout games.
33
Number of losses in playoff closeout games, an NBA record.