Doc Rivers was recently fired by the Philadelphia 76ers after yet another disappointing postseason. After finishing the regular season as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the 76ers lost the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Boston Celtics. Even though the Celtics are a strong team, it was seen as a poor outing as the 76ers have the best player in the league, Joel Embiid. So, the Sixers’ loss to the Celtics was criticized a lot. However, River’s dismissal was a major shock to a fellow NBA coach.

Rivers has been in charge of the 76ers for the past three years and the team has lost the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on all three occasions. After the loss against the Celtics, Rivers said that “no one’s safe” when asked about his future with the team.

Erik Spoelstra on the dismissal of Doc Rivers

Erik Spoelstra has so far helped the Miami Heat to three championships, two as head coach and one as an assistant. He came close to winning another ring in 2020 but the Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. Even though he has not won any title without LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, he is still heralded as one of the best coaches in the league.

Notably, he is usually praised for keeping up the “Heat Culture”. Spoelstra is once again a huge reason behind the Heat’s run so far. Despite his team’s success, he was shocked to find out about the dismissal of Doc Rivers.

According to a report from SunSentinal, Spoelstra said, “It?s disturbing. Doc?s a Hall of Famer ?You get past the first round, there?s going to be some really good teams. Great players, great organizations, great coaching staffs that are going to lose. It?s part of the nature of this beast. There?s only so many teams that can advance. It?s just a really hard thing to do. It?s been a tough couple weeks, hearing the news of some really surprising firings.”

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Notably, Spoelstra is not the only one surprised about the firing of Rivers.

Joel Embiid is also “shocked” about the change

Joel Embiid reportedly had a “strong” relationship with head coach Doc Rivers. So, understandably, he was frustrated when he learned the coach was dismissed by the management. As per the New York Post, 76ers president Daryl Morey admitted Embiid was “shocked” about the change. Morey added that it is his job to convince the 2023 NBA MVP that he?ll have a good relationship with the next coach as well.

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Do you think the dismissal of Doc Rivers was harsh? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!