Getty Commentator Stephen A. Smith
With the Philadelphia 76ers headed back to Boston to see their division rival Celtics to try to win Game 7, Stephen A. Smith believes that, no matter what happens next, it would be in the Sixers’ best interest to keep Doc Rivers.
“If it’s me, and I’m owning the Philadelphia 76ers, I’m not letting go of Doc Rivers,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “I know the man’s a hell of a coach. I’m holding on to that brother, but I don’t know if they’re going to make that decision, and me personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if they looked at everybody.”
Smith also said that Rivers’ coaching in this series has shined, as evidenced by the Sixers’ pivotal win in Game 5.
“We know he’s done a hell of a job, but the reality is, is that you got to Game 6 on your home court after winning Game 5 in Boston. Everybody’s looking forward to you finally getting to a conference finals.”
Rivers will have his work cut out for him in Game 7, having to win the series against his former team. The last time Rivers won a Game 7 was in 2015 against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
James Harden Voices Frustration at Officials After Game 6
After the Sixers lost Game 6, James Harden criticized their officials for how they officiated him when he was on the floor, believing that he drew fouls on defenders that weren’t called.
“Tonight was just frustrating because I’m number one as far as fouls that don’t get called. It’s a fact,” Harden told reporters in the locker room after the game. “So it’s frustrating as a player. So when officiating tells you at halftime ‘We missed a couple of fouls.’ That right there. There was some missed shots and fouls which would give me a rhythm to transition points for them.”
Despite what he believed was a lack of calls, Harden said that he made an impact on the offensive end while also praising the Celtics’ defense.
“I’m not gonna look at my shooting percentage,” Harden said. “I did a lot of really good things offensively. Defensively, they did a really good job of like their game plan was to pack the paint. They started two bigs, and they packed the paint. They started two bigs, and they packed the paint. So they forced us to make shots.”
Joel Embiid States What Went Wrong in Game 6
The Sixers only managed to convert one more field goal attempt after going up 83-81 in the fourth quarter against the Celtics, going on to lose 95-86. Embiid said that three things, in particular, went wrong in the fourth quarter that prevented the Sixers from putting the Celtics away for good.
“I think it was three things. We had a lot of wide-open shots, we didn’t make them. We stopped moving the ball, and I don’t think I touched the ball (in) the last four minutes of the game. Like I said, we missed a lot of good looks. I didn’t touch the ball at all.”
“I think it was 3 things. We had a lot of wide open shots, we didn’t make them. We stopped moving the ball. I don’t think I touched the ball the last 4 minutes of the game… I didn’t touch the ball at all.”
Joel Embiid on the Sixers late-game offense