Sixers' Doc Rivers defends his coaching after blowing 24-point lead in loss to Clippers

The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to be in contention to win the NBA championship this season, as they have a superstar big man, a solid supporting cast and a head coach who has accomplished a lot on his résumé.

However, during Doc Rivers' coaching tenure in Philadelphia, he has blown some large leads, and Friday was no different.

The Sixers led by as many as 24 but blew the lead in a 102-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at home. To make matters worse, the Clippers were missing stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

It brought up memories of the Sixers blowing a 26-point lead at home to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the last season's Eastern Conference semifinals in what was a disappointing finish. This was not the first time a Rivers-led team has blown a big lead, and he was questioned after the game about how much of the loss can be attributed to coaching.

"I don't know," said Rivers. "Would you ask Pop (San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) that question? No, you wouldn't. So don't ask me that question. I've earned that."

Rivers is right that he has earned a bit of leeway. He has won a ton of games in his career as he helped the Orlando Magic turn things around in the early 2000s, won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and helped turn the Clippers turning them into a constant contender in the West. He also led the Sixers to their first No. 1 seed in 2021.

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However, it does not change the fact that Rivers-led teams have blown a lot of leads in the playoffs. He is not free from blame for Philadelphia's failures in the 2021 postseason, and he is not free from blame for Friday's collapse.

Rivers has been able to lead his team through adversity before, and he will have to do it again in this situation.

Follow Ky Carlin on Twitter @Ky_Carlin.