Which NBA coach has the most playoff wins?
Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers has become the fifth NBA coach to win 100 playoff games, after his team’s 112-97 win against the Toronto Raptors.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers reached a professional milestone after Philadelphia subdued the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the playoffs first-round series. He became only the fifth coach in the NBA to win 100 games in the postseason.
Doc Rivers joins elite group of NBA coaches
He joins the ranks of head coaches Phil Jackson (Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers) who has the highest number with 229 wins; Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat) in second place with 171; Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) at fourth with 170; and Larry Brown with 100 (Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons).
Rivers has passed Boston Celtics icon Red Auerbach who has 99 wins, and is now tied with Brown at fourth place for most wins by a coach in the playoffs.
Rivers is likely to pass Brown’s record in this postseason, but he has a long way to go up the leaderboard if he is to get closer to the top three.
76ers dominate Raptors
Rivers achieved the feat on the strength of NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid’s powerful performance, as he racked up a game-high 31 points on nine-of-16 shooting, with 19 points scored in the first quarter alone. Embiid also contributed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Rising star guard Tyrese Maxey was another big factor in the Sixers win, making 23 points in eight-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds and eight assists.
Forward Tobias Harris chipped in with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while James Harden had 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
The 76ers now lead 2-0 in the series, and will be traveling to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday, April 20.