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After the Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, former Sixers sharpshooter JJ Redick threw some shade at Sixers head coach Doc Rivers.
“I wonder if (the Sixers) cooperated,” Redick tweeted after the Sixers’ Game 7 loss.
Redick is referencing an interview Rivers did with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, in which he explained why the teams he coached with the Los Angeles Clippers – who Redick played for from 2013 to 2017 – did not pan out.
“I’m not trying to take anything away from that team, but that team was never going to win when you look back at it. We just didn’t get along well enough as a group, and you can’t win without cooperation. That’s the only way you can win,” Rivers said.
Much like the Sixers have for the past few years, those Clippers teams came into their seasons with Rivers as head coach expecting to compete for a title, only to be ousted in the second round. Though Rivers has a title to his name as a head coach – winning the 2008 title with the Celtics – he has not advanced past the second round with any of the teams he’s coached outside of them.
Redick’s Response to Rivers’ Criticism
When Rivers said that the Clippers teams he coached lacked cooperation with one another, Redick’s initial response was quote-tweeting the passage while responding with, “This is what dreams are made of.”
Then, on his podcast, “The Old Man & The Three,” Redick discussed his thoughts on Rivers’ words while talking with former Clippers teammate Jamal Crawford.
“I thought it was weird,” Redick told Crawford. “To not get any of that accountability from him, and the interesting part, too, is he’s talking about players getting along, and he was brought in…Doc’s reputation was like as a personality manager…and he was a GM, so like if people weren’t getting along, I don’t know, it’s kind of on (Doc).”
Much like the Sixers for the past few years, the Clippers made it close a couple of times when he was coaching the team, but the furthest they went in the playoffs was seven games in the Conference Semifinals.
JJ Redick Linked to Open Head Coach Position
Redick has made a name for himself as a broadcaster and podcaster over the past few years. However, he may have his next basketball career lined up through head coaching. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, Redick has been considered a candidate for the open head coaching position of the Toronto Raptors.
“Then there are some wild cards… and one source suggesting that Toronto has looked into the possibility of veteran NBA sharpshooter, turned podcaster, turned broadcaster JJ Reddick — who has spoken openly about the possibility of getting into coaching — as being head coach material,” Grange said.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski then reported that Redick was interviewed by the Raptors for their open spot.
“Fifteen-year NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick interviewed for the Toronto Raptors’ coaching job this week, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
“Redick was part of a first round of interviews and met with franchise leadership in Toronto recently, sources said. He had been a target for several teams, including the Boston Celtics, as an assistant coach since retiring as a player in 2021.”
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