From one Doc to another, it’s obvious that Rivers has the Sixers on a roll

CHICAGO — Joel Embiid is the NBA’s most dominant player. James Harden is doing things no 76ers point guard has ever done before. And Tyrese Maxey is an All-Star-in-waiting.

But it’s time to give Doc Rivers his props for the Sixers having a legitimate chance to win their first NBA title in 40 years.

“Doc is really in charge,” Julius “Dr. J” Erving said earlier this week. “This is his team. He’s got them in a great space right now, which is not the easiest thing to do. It’s a greater challenge than most of the other coaches in the league.”

Rivers’ challenge was getting talented individuals to buy into his slogan: “This is a ‘we’ season, not a ‘me’ season.”

» READ MORE: Doc Rivers has one of the NBA’s toughest jobs — and shouldn’t be the Sixers’ fall guy

It was not an easy task. He had to get Harden, a former MVP, to dial back the things that made him an MVP. Rivers also had to get Embiid to put the focus more on team goals than individual accomplishments.

“He wants it,” Erving said of Embiid’s desire to add the MVP and other career-altering individual accolades to his resume. “He’s not individually fulfilled, yet. So he wants it. The championship isn’t his individual goal. So you have that. He has to manage that.”

Rivers has done that. Instead of forcing shots, Embiid is a willing passer and has learned to trust his teammates more.

The coach also had to get Tobias Harris to accept a role as the team’s fourth option. And after all that, Rivers will probably remain the scapegoat if the Sixers continue their trend of second-round exits.

“It’s actually hard when you have more talent,” Erving said of coaching. “Let’s say if you don’t have talent at all and you come in last place, that’s predictable and acceptable. But when you have former MVPs — Harden’s a former MVP and maybe Joel is a future MVP — the expectation is higher and you have to deliver. And you have to manage your role players and kind of manage your stars.”

But Rivers has done a solid job of getting his team to play together. It’s important that he continues to do so and the Sixers keep a clean bill of health and get a little luck as they try to bring another championship to Philly.

The Sixers exited Wednesday’s 116-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center with a 49-23 record. They were in third place in the Eastern Conference, half a game behind the second-place Boston Celtics (50-23) with 10 remaining. They played without Harden (sore left Achilles) and Jalen McDaniels (bruised right hip), who sat out with injuries out of an abundance of caution.

The Sixers, who are a league-best 37-11 since Dec. 9, were coming off Monday’s 109-105 double-overtime loss to the Bulls. After that game, they traveled to Chicago — Rivers’ hometown — for the backend of their home-and-away series with the Bulls.

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“His impact on the team has been great,” Maxey said of his coach. “He’s helping guys get to the spots they need to get to, and he’s managed the team very well. He’s managed personalities. I think he’s done a great job.”

That became evident when Rivers had a frank conversation with Harden after a training camp session in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 29. He told Harden to be the leader of the team, that he and Embiid have to communicate and listen to each other and noted that Harden and Embiid were atop the pecking order.

The coach told Harden he had to prioritize him and Embiid first and that “this ain’t no democracy” when it comes to touches.

“Well, it’s not a democracy and everybody has to understand that,” Rivers said recently, “and they are understanding that. Everybody is buying into their roles. They’re feeding into their roles. They’re believing in us and each other.

“James made the comment earlier in the year that this is the best group he’s played with. So the more we win and the more we just keep in, the better we are going to be.”

Rivers has kept the pulse of his team and made solid decisions.

One example came during Saturday’s 141-121 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Unhappy with his team’s start, Rivers called a timeout after Indiana went up, 12-4. The Sixers responded with a 14-0 run and never looked back.

» READ MORE: Sixers vs. Chicago Bulls takeaways: Bouncing back, throwback to 1983 champs; balancing contention and health

That was just one of the many occasions the Sixers have gone on a decisive run following a timeout. Rivers has also improved his lineups and is getting the most out of his role players.

Just don’t mention it to him.

“I try to stay away from it because I do what I do, you know what I’m saying?” said Rivers, who doesn’t want the focus on him. “I love the job. I love what we’re doing, what we’re building. It’s been a process. Not only just this year, but the last couple and trying to get the right guys that kind of fit me more. So I think all that’s been important.”

While true, it’s also true that Rivers has made shrewd adjustments.

When the Maxey-Harden backcourt tandem was a defensive liability, Rivers swapped De’Anthony Melton for Maxey. But once Maxey and Melton struggled in their new roles, he switched them back.

He’s also made solid in-game decisions, like having 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker guard the Denver Nuggets’ 7-foot center Nikola Jokić and Washington Wizards’ 7-3 power forward Kristaps Porziņģis. In addition to having Embiid close out games at the elbow, he’s also switched to a zone defense when need be.

Not bad for a coach that has been criticized in the past for his lack of adjustments.

“He’s still improving as a coach,” Erving said of Rivers’ evolution. “That’s true. You’re never going to be perfect. There’s no such thing as perfection in coaching. You are hired to be fired, actually.”

In his 24th season, Rivers is regarded as a future Hall of Fame coach. His 1,092 victories rank ninth on the all-time wins list. Rivers also led the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA title.

» READ MORE: Dominating both ends of the court, Sixers’ Joel Embiid should dethrone Nikola Jokić as MVP

Back then, the Celtics rallied around “Ubuntu” to help them gel. They said it before every practice, after every practice, and when they broke the huddle before every game. The Nguni Bantu word means “humanity” and was introduced to Rivers by a close friend.

The Sixers don’t say “Ubuntu.”

“But there’s been a lot of talk about it,” Rivers said. “Not Ubuntu, but more about just giving yourself. We talk about it every day, just giving yourself to the team, ‘Give yourself to the team.’ If you do that, good things will happen.”

So far, good things have happened.