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The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2022-23 NBA season with high hopes. The team is built around last year’s NBA MVP runner-up Joel Embiid, a former MVP in James Harden and a budding star in Tyrese Maxey.
But things have gone awry in the early season. The Sixers lost their opening-night game to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. They then lost their home opener, albeit narrowly, to the 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Sixers fans never like losing. But they generally deemed both losses acceptable given the opponents.
Philly had an opportunity to get headed in the right direction on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were a middle-of-the-road team a year ago. But they tore it all down in the offseason, trading star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks.
San Antonio is expected to be so bad in the 2022-23 season that head coach Gregg Popovich didn’t even know all of his players’ names.
The Charlotte Hornets blew out the Spurs in their season opener before San Antonio got on the board with a narrow win over the equally awful Indiana Pacers. But nobody expected them to give the Sixers a game.
Except that’s exactly what happened. San Antonio not only gave the Sixers a game, but they went into Philly and walked out 114-105.
Sixers Fans Want Coach Doc Rivers Fired ASAP
Philadelphia fans already disliked head coach Doc Rivers after two embarrassing playoff exits the last two seasons. Now, however, they want Rivers’ head on a platter.
You have to fire Doc if they lose this game. Almost have no choice.
— Subscribe to the You Know Ball Patreon (@TrillBroDude) October 22, 2022
Grandma stays in the cage until the @sixers fire Doc @dmorey pic.twitter.com/cuEXntQqQ2
— No Sixers No (@No_Sixers_No) October 23, 2022
The Sixers should fire Doc Rivers before he leaves the arena
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) October 23, 2022
Even Sixers fans across the world got in on the fun.
Imagine tu affrontes les Spurs qui sont en back-to-back, Joel Embiid pose un 40-13 et tu perds le match.
FIRE DOC RIVERS ! pic.twitter.com/MNhY0FewSV
— 76ers France (@FR_Sixers) October 23, 2022
When the team fires Rivers, nobody knows.
Which day of the week should the Sixers fire Doc
— Sixers Nation (@PHLSixersNation) October 23, 2022
But it’s becoming abundantly clear that Philly is sick and tired of the big-name coach and there’s only one eventual ending. Whether that ending comes before the Sixers completely and utterly explode is anyone’s guess.