Heat's Erik Spoelstra surprised by recent round of coach firings, calls Doc Rivers' dismissal 'disturbing'

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Prior to the Miami Heat defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra discussed the recent round of coach firings in the NBA.

Since the start of the NBA Playoffs, four big-name head coaches have been dismissed, with three of them having an NBA championship to their name.

Then-Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers reacts against the Boston Celtics in game three of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 5, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

The latest casualty was Doc Rivers, who was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday after three seasons. 

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"It’s disturbing," Spoelstra said Tuesday. "I mean, Doc’s a Hall of Famer. It’s what [Heat GM] Andy [Elisburg] always says, you get past the first round, there’s going to be some really good teams. Great players, great organizations, great coaching staffs that are going to lose. 

"It’s part of the nature of this beast. There’s only so many teams that can advance. It’s just a really hard thing to do. It’s been a tough couple weeks, hearing the news of some really surprising firings."

Rivers was fired after taking the Sixers to three consecutive conference semifinals and after 54 regular season wins, the most for the franchise since the 2000-2001 season. 

The round of dismissals started on April 21 when Toronto Raptors fired Nick Nurse after five seasons. 

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Then-Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse reacts during the first quarter of