Doc Rivers knows a thing or two about the pressures of coaching a playoff team for the first time, as well as the high expectations of any coach at the helm of the Boston Celtics in the postseason. And the Philadelphia 76ers head coach weighed in on his opponent’s head coach, Joe Mazzulla, with those experiences in mind in a recent conversation with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Joe has far more pressure than I did my first year in the playoffs,” explained Rivers of his first foray into the league’s 16-game season with the Orlando Magic in 2002.
“He’s doing a fantastic job,” added the 76ers coach. “He’s taking a team that went to the Finals last year.”
“He’s going to be the guy, just like me and just like all of our coaches, that you look at when anything goes wrong,” suggested Rivers. “And Joe’s never experienced that, but that’s just the way it is.”
“It’s part of our jobs. One thing I know about Joe, he knew that when he signed on. I guarantee it.”
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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire