Former Hawks Player Sounds Off on Doc Rivers in Instagram Rant

Former NBA player Josh Smith had some interesting words for Sixers head coach Doc Rivers following Philly's Game 7 collapse against the Hawks.

In a series of unfortunate events, the Sixers find themselves out of the postseason. Their championship aspirations have come to an end after falling in seven games to the Atlanta Hawks. 

Doc Rivers now finds himself on the wrong end of playoff comebacks for the second straight postseason. The memories are still fresh of the Clippers' collapse against the Denver Nuggets in the bubble last season. 

These downfalls in the playoffs have been a major blemish in Rivers' Hall of Fame resume. The Sixers failing to beat the Hawks in Game 7 caused a former player to voice his opinion on the head coach. 

Josh Smith played for five different franchises throughout his 13-year career, with most of that time spent in Atlanta. Watching his former team upset the number one seed Sixers caused Smith to give his thoughts on Instagram. He feels that narrative of Rivers might need to be changed. 

"ESPN, it's time for y'all to get on Doc Rivers' [expletive] now. He hasn't gotten past the second round since he had them boys man," said Smith. This being in reference to his old Celtics teams that were headline by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Smith also said that Rivers' seat should be hot. 

*Warning: Video Contains Explicit Language

Rivers is far from being on the hot seat. Despite how things ended for the Sixers this season, it was still a major turnaround from last season. 

The coach can only do so much on the sidelines. In the end, it comes down to the players on the court. This postseason run fell short of everyone's expectations, including Rivers. Despite the early exit, there should still be optimism for what Rivers can do for the franchise moving forward. 

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.