For the third time in a row, with the Clippers as with the Sixers, Doc Rivers is eliminated in the conference semifinals. Ten years since he reached the conference final (2012 with Boston) despite teams with high quality staff.
Isn’t he tired of running, season after season for a decade, after the Finals and accumulating disappointments in the playoffs?
“You cannot give up on your hopes and your dream. It’s a fierce pursuit.”he assures. “I was hired for that. My job is to get the stars to play together and win. I am here for this. »
He hasn’t made it since 2008 and winning with Boston. But he believes that there are no other methods to win the Grail.
“Winning is complicated. Even if the stars give up to play together, it is not a guarantee to win. But I know one thing: if we don’t, then we don’t win. That’s the key: playing and winning together. We have to do this to win. A great player who is only great on his own is not a great player. I always take these two examples: Magic Johnson and Bill Russell. They knew how to become great and allowed their teammates to be great as well. When that happens, then the team wins. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal struggled at times, but they pulled through. They needed each other. We can’t win without the stars and we have to find the solution to play collectively with them. »
“It’s hard, but it’s worth it”
This speech does not work with everyone and not necessarily in a few months. However, the former Orlando coach ensures that the sacrifice is rewarded at its fair value.
“We must continue to make the players understand that it is worth it, on a daily basis. For some players, it’s a challenge to get out of their comfort zone. It’s tough, but worth it. It’s difficult because in a season, a lot happens: losing streaks, injuries, bad passes. And there, the players no longer adhere and can give up. You have to fight anyway. You have to be implacable with them and let them tell themselves that the coach has no other priorities: he wants to win and will not change. It’s important: he won’t change and we’re partners. The main thing is cooperation. »
A cooperation that must also be felt at all levels of the franchise. The Philadelphia coach, courted by the Lakers and who could also be fired after two seasons that were not successful enough, has already received the support of Daryl Morey, the president of the Sixers, for next season.
“The team, the leaders, the franchise, everyone has to want to win. And this is the case here. If one of those parties doesn’t feel like it, we can’t win. If everyone is not on the same wavelength, we gain nothing. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Fte | Pts |
| Joel Embiid | 68 | 33.8 | 49.9 | 37.1 | 81.4 | 2.1 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 30.6 |
| James Harden | 21 | 37.7 | 40.2 | 32.6 | 89.2 | 0.6 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 10.5 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 21.0 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 75 | 35.3 | 48.5 | 42.7 | 86.6 | 0.3 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 17.5 |
| Tobias Harris | 73 | 34.8 | 48.2 | 36.7 | 84.2 | 1.1 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 17.2 |
| Seth Curry | 45 | 34.8 | 48.5 | 40.0 | 87.7 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 15.0 |
| Georges Niang | 76 | 22.8 | 43.7 | 40.3 | 88.1 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 9.2 |
| Shake Milton | 55 | 21.4 | 42.9 | 32.3 | 83.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 8.2 |
| Furkan Korkmaz | 67 | 21.1 | 38.7 | 28.9 | 81.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 7.6 |
| Andre Drummond | 49 | 18.4 | 53.8 | 0.0 | 51.2 | 2.8 | 6.1 | 8.8 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 6.1 |
| Danny Green | 62 | 21.8 | 39.4 | 38.0 | 78.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 5.9 |
| Matisse Thybulle | 66 | 25.5 | 50.0 | 31.3 | 79.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 5.7 |
| Deandre Jordan | 16 | 13.4 | 59.3 | 0.0 | 71.4 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.8 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 4.6 |
| Paul Millsap | 9 | 11.7 | 43.3 | 25.0 | 71.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 3.7 |
| Tyler Johnson | 3 | 12.7 | 40.0 | 42.9 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| Isaiah Joe | 55 | 11.1 | 35.0 | 33.3 | 93.5 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 3.6 |
| Paul Reed, Jr. | 38 | 8.0 | 56.3 | 25.0 | 42.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 3.1 |
| Charles Bassey | 23 | 7.3 | 63.8 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
| Charlie Brown | 19 | 8.5 | 26.5 | 11.1 | 90.0 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Myles Powell | 11 | 4.7 | 29.4 | 16.7 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Jaden Springer | 2 | 2.8 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Braxton Key | 2 | 3.2 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Aaron Henry | 6 | 2.8 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Willie Cauley-stein | 2 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
