By Jordan Long
The L.A. Clippers season ended in disappointment after their title aspirations flopped. They led the Denver Nuggets 3-1 in the best of 7 series in the 2nd-round but found a way to lose the series in game 7. The Clippers thought about keeping Head Coach Doc Rivers but decided to let him go after their collapse in the postseason.
Rivers was hired by the Clippers prior to the 2013 season. He was very successful with the Boston Celtics from 2004 to 2013. The Celtics went an impressive 416-305 under Rivers, a winning percentage of .577 with 7 trips to the playoffs including 2 NBA Finals appearances. They won the NBA Championship in 2008. The Clippers were hoping for the same result with the goal of winning an NBA Title for the first time in franchise history.
Rivers went 57-25 in his first year. In the playoffs, they beat the Golden State Warriors in 7 games. In the 2nd-round they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 6 games.
The Clippers won 56 games in 2015. They reached the postseason again knocking off the San Antonio Spurs in 7 games. In the 2nd-round they were up 3-1 against the Houston Rockets. It looked like they were going to cruise to the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, they lost the next 3 games which ended their season. The Clippers made the postseason in 2016, 2017, and 2019 under Rivers but they were defeated in the 1st-round.
On paper, this year was going to be different. In the offseason, the Clippers traded for All-Star shooting guard Paul George and agreed to a contract with All-Star Kawhi Leonard. This seemed to be the best shot for the Clippers to compete with the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference. The Clippers ended the regular season at 49-23, 2nd in the Western Conference.
In the playoffs, the Clippers advanced to the 2nd-round. They looked primed for a trip to the Western Conference Finals and were ahead 3-1 to the Denver Nuggets. Denver stormed back to win the next 3 games to take the series and end their season.
The Clippers took their time and decided it was best to move on from Rivers. According to ESPN, Rivers said, “We didn’t meet them. That’s the bottom line. I’m the coach, and I’ll take any blame for it. But we didn’t meet our expectations, clearly, because if we had, in my opinion, we’d still be playing.”
Rivers ends his time in L.A. with an impressive regular season record of 356-208, a winning percentage of .631. The Clippers won 50 or more games 4 times. Just looking at that, it should have saved his job. The problem was he failed in the playoffs. This team never made it to the Western Conference Finals. Rivers should be in high demand for any job opening. He has proven he can turn a franchise around.
The Clippers will start a search for the next Head Coach. They will probably want one with NBA experience. The next Head Coach must find a way to help this team reach the Western Conference Finals. Of course, the goal with this roster is to win an NBA Championship. If they fall short, the next coach will not last long.
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