Sixers' Doc Rivers is on Pace to Coach Eastern Conference All-Stars
After getting let go by the Los Angeles Clippers following his seventh season as the head coach, Doc Rivers quickly moved on to his next destination. The Sixers, who were in the midst of an intense search for a new head coach after firing Brett Brown, immediately reached out to Rivers' reps to get him into town.
Rivers was open to the idea of considering coaching in Philly. When he saw the roster was headlined by two All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Rivers was already partially convinced that's where he wanted to be next.
After visiting with the Sixers' core, Rivers reached a deal with the 76ers and became the team's next head coach. So far, things are going great for the Doc Rivers era in Philadelphia. Through almost two months of playing, Rivers' Sixers are in first place in the Eastern Conference with an 18-10 record.
At the beginning of the month, the NBA named Doc Rivers the Eastern Conference's Coach of the month, validating the veteran leader for the good job he has done with the Sixers so far. And now, another honor could be in play.
With the NBA moving forward with a 2021 All-Star game, Rivers is on pace to become the Eastern Conference's head coach. According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Rivers will earn the position if his team wins two of its next three games.
Those matchups will be against the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and the Toronto Raptors. If Rivers doesn't hold up as the East's top coach through the next few games, the position could go to Brooklyn Nets' Steve Nash or Milwaukee Bucks' Mike Budenholzer.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
