76ers' Rivers 'very concerned' about NBA being able to play through pandemic

New Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers doubts whether the NBA can execute a 72-game season and playoffs as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

"I'm very concerned if we can pull this off," Rivers said Tuesday, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

The 59-year-old bench boss pointed out a major difference between the NBA and NFL, which has postponed multiple games due to positive COVID-19 tests.

"In football they play once a week and they have 1,000 players, so when you miss three or four players, you can still get away with it," he said.

"If we miss three or four players, we're in trouble, especially with the amount of games. We're playing three and four games a week," Rivers added. "So, if one of our guys or two of our key guys get the virus and they miss 10 days, 14 days, that can be eight games in a 72-game season. That can knock you out in the playoffs."

On Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors announced that two unidentified players tested positive for COVID-19, pushing back workouts and practices.

To comply with new COVID-19 protocols the NBA released last week, any player or team staff member who tests positive must sit out and miss training and practice for 10 days, followed by two days of masked, independent workouts.