Doc Rivers joins growing list of fired playoff coaches

The 76ers dismissed Rivers after three seasons — and three second-round losses — in Philadelphia. Rivers lost his fifth straight Game 7 this year and his 10th Game 7 overall.

Only eight coaches in NBA history have won more games than Rivers, who led Philadelphia to the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21. However, Rivers hasn't made it out of the second round since 2012, and in today's NBA, that's doom for a head coach.

Rivers last won a title in 2008. Milwaukee's Mike Budenholzer won it all in 2021, and he was dismissed when his top-seeded Bucks lost to the No. 8 Miami Heat. Monty Williams took Phoenix to the NBA Finals that same year, and he was fired when the Suns lost to the Nuggets in six games.

Winning a title two years ago doesn't guarantee any job security in the NBA. Frank Vogel lost his job in 2022 after winning in 2020. Ty Lue was out early in the 2018-19 season after winning it all in 2016. The only recent title-winning coach to keep his job is Steve Kerr, and even he had to make the Finals six times in eight years.

That's why it shouldn't be a surprise that 2019 champion Nick Nurse was out of work after Toronto lost the play-in game to Chicago. Four years ago is an eternity in the NBA.

However, one team's playoff failure is another team's playoff savior.

Philadelphia is interested in three of the coaches fired during the playoffs this year — plus Vogel and Mike D'Antoni, dismissed in Houston after the Rockets lost in the second round two straight years.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Milwaukee is interested in Williams as well.

What's the takeaway? A playoff failure may cost an NBA coach his job, but it won't prevent him from getting another one — even Rivers.