Doc Rivers looks for answers after Clippers' collapse

Boston Herald

Doc Rivers Responds to Magic Johnson's Criticism

We wondered, when Doc Rivers looked down the sideline and saw Houston coach Kevin McHale, if he had flashbacks to the ’80s and his Hawks’ matchups against the, for them, unconquerable Celtics.

“I was hoping it was Celtics versus Celtics,” Rivers said, “but unfortunately it turned into Celtics versus Hawks, I guess. Coaches don’t do much back and forth, so it’s completely different than when we were playing.”

Doc thought he might get immunity from the Boston-Atlanta script, having coached the C’s to the 2008 title. But McHale won three championships in Green, and, back here in the present, his Rockets had too much depth for Rivers’ Clippers, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to earn a trip to the Western Conference finals that begin tonight against Golden State.

It was even worse than 1988 when the Hawks took a 3-2 lead on the Celts with a win in Boston, only to lose Games 6 and 7 by two points each.

Yesterday, Rivers was at his place in Los Angeles, laying down and trying to decompress after a 12-month stretch that saw a dramatic ownership change and a 56-win regular season followed by a seven-game opening-round win over the defending champion Spurs. Then a late-game collapse in Game 6 and failure to launch in Game 7 Sunday in Houston.

“This is such a hard day,” Rivers told the Herald. “You don’t know what to do, because you expected to still be playing.”

Things were certainly headed in that direction when the Clippers went up 3-1 on Houston — and when they led by 19 with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter of Game 6 … at home.

Then it all went away, and the Clippers went from serious title contender to, according to the storyline, The Same Old Clippers.

“That’s just how sports are now,” said Rivers. “Really, it’s how life is. We were six minutes away from the Western finals and we’re good, and then we lose it and it was because we, you know, whatever. That’s just part of it and you live with that. I get it. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s just part of the society we live in, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Rivers, who also has say over the Clippers’ personnel, is taking hits for not having a strong enough bench.

“We knew that going into it,” he said. “It’s not like people are saying anything we didn’t already know. We were trying to make moves in the middle of the season when we were playing well, because we knew it just wasn’t enough.

“Obviously Austin (Rivers, his son, acquired via the Celtics) was a huge help for us, so that was the surprise. That was the good part. Spencer (Hawes, the 7-foot center), on the other hand, I know he can play better than he played, and he wasn’t that player this year, so we have to figure that out, because he’s the one we went out and paid for and it didn’t work out.

“That happens. We had a bunch of those in Boston, as well, but you’ve got to try to make it happen. That was the big one for us. If Spencer would have played great, you already had Jamal (Crawford), and we added Austin to that group. Baby (Glen Davis) was in and out. The fact that Baby was playing in front of Spencer told me where Spencer was at. But he can play. We’ve got to figure out a better way of using him, and he has to come in in better shape. I think at the end of the day he’ll help us. Unfortunately this year he didn’t.”

Now the Clippers will have to help themselves, and their options appear to be limited. In addition to the fact they don’t have a first-round pick, having sent that to the Celts for allowing Doc out of his contract two years ago, the numbers are tight. And they still have to sign unrestricted free agent DeAndre Jordan.

“We really have been that way for a while now,” Rivers said. “Whenever you have a couple of max contracts and possibly a third, you don’t have a lot of wiggle room. When I took this job, I already saw that. Chris (Paul) and Blake (Griffin) were already maxed, and DJ was close to max even before this next contract ($11.4 million for 2014-15). So when you looked at our contracts, we didn’t have a lot of room.

“We had one asset that, right when I took the job, I was ordered to move. That was (Eric) Bledsoe. They said they were not going to pay him. Now you laugh and say, ‘Man, if that could have been one year later.’ (New owner) Steve Ballmer would have said, ‘You keep him if you want him; you move him if you want to.’ But that move ended up getting J.J. (Redick) and he was huge for us in the way we played. But after that, we’re down to minimum contracts and mid-level deals and then trades.

“So we don’t have a ton of assets, and we know that. But we can still improve our bench, and that’s what we’re going to do this summer. And we don’t need to do much. I mean, it’s not like we’re that far off. We just need to tweak and add the right pieces. It doesn’t have to be a flamboyant piece, just the right piece.”

Rivers’ staff already has been at work on that, examining the possibilities. But yesterday Doc was just looking for the right peace of mind.

112288

I'll never understand the attraction Spencer Hawes has for some people.  I think he's soft.

Sam

Sam,

Spot on!

Sam, Looks like the Clippers are hard up in getting additional assets, wonder if any their players make sense for us?

112288

I for one do not think that Jordan is a fit for the Celtics. I think that his free throw history will only set him up to be a big failure in Boston. Shooting 39% is something that an NBA athlete should be able to do blindfolded, and if he is in Boston as a max level salaried player he will be the automatic target every time the team loses a game. "Hack-a-Jordan" will not fly in Boston as our team shoots to improve to 50 wins next season.

I feel that if he goes to a team that already (Dallas or San Antonio for example) has star players his free throw deficiencies will not show as badly as they will on a team where he is paid as the "star" player.

112288, I am not sure that the Clippers have anyone other than Chris Paul who I would want from their team.

wide clyde

I think he would be a good fit for the Celtics because despite his free throw shooting, one trick pony baskets off of alley-opp passes, he is arguably the best rebounding /rim protecting center in the NBA

Is that worth $18mill + per? Hell no...we still need some offense for that kinda cash

dboss

GYSO

Yes right under the bus. When I read that I was thinking hmmmm...and whose fault is that?

Can't blame danny

gyso wrote:Doc throws Hawes under the bus?

Spencer (Hawes, the 7-foot center), on the other hand, I know he can play better than he played, and he wasn’t that player this year, so we have to figure that out, because he’s the one we went out and paid for and it didn’t work out.

gyso,

That is one amazing statement from Doc ESPECIALLY since Hawes is under contract for another 3 years. Nothing like knocking down his trade value, huh?


bob


.

Speaking of knocking down a players trade value

case in point

Danny did not enhanced Sully's value and coach brad did not to enhance Gerald Wallace's trade value

dboss wrote:Speaking of knocking down a players trade value

case in point

Danny did not enhanced Sully's value and coach brad did not to enhance Gerald Wallace's trade value

dboss,

No, Danny didn't do that with Sully and Brad's job wasn't to enhance trade value, it was to win. In fact, Brad was pleading, publicly, for no more trades.


bob



.

I sent Doc an insta-gram to the effect that he should have listened to me about Hawes—aka "Mushy."  So far, Doc hasn't responded.

Sam