Doc Rivers can’t contain his frustration after Clippers’ poor performance
OAKLAND, Calif. – Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers spent about 10 minutes Wednesday night venting to his coaching staff outside the visitors’ locker room after his team's 121-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Rivers then spent the next 10-15 minutes in the locker room, where his players discussed the rout.
Once Rivers finally met with the media, he released his frustration while admitting he had little to communicate to his team after the disheartening performance.
“I didn’t say much,” Rivers said. “I just let them blow smoke up each other’s [expletives] because that’s all they did in my opinion. But I let them just talk it out. But I think if you’re going to talk, you got to be real. I am not a fan of group meetings unless they are real group meetings.
“I said something is going to happen [Wednesday night], and it’s going to be good or bad for us. We are going to find out exactly what we need to find out. And what we found out is [the Warriors] are way better than us right now.
“If this was a playoff series, we’d lose in four games. It would be a destruction.”
Rivers was particularly annoyed by his team’s effort and defense.
“I’ve never been in a game where a team scored 65 points and we had one foul,” Rivers said about his Clippers (3-2) trailing 65-42 at halftime. “That, to the core of me, bothers me to no end. I have never seen that before. And I think the foul was late and it was a mistake. It probably wasn’t a foul. So for me, I’m doing something wrong.
“That’s just soft as you can probably get in a game. One foul? At halftime? Are you [expletive] kidding me?”
Essentially, Rivers wasn’t happy with anything about the Clippers.
“I don’t think we are bringing anything into the games, period.
“What was it, five games in seven nights? But what we lacked is heart. I don’t mind being tired. We can use that as an excuse. I just know me. If I’m tired and getting my butt kicked, I would leave the game with no fouls left. To me that was just weak on our part.”
The reigning Pacific Division champions are expected to be an NBA title contender after advancing to the second round of the playoffs last season, but so far the team is struggling.
It has also lost to the rebuilding Sacramento Kings and had hard-fought wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Kevin Durant, the winless Los Angeles Lakers and the rebuilding Utah Jazz. The Clippers have plenty of time to right the ship, but the players are concerned.
“There is no secret,” said Clippers guard Chris Paul, who declined to talk about the postgame locker-room discussion. “We are trying to find ourselves and trying to win at the same time because you have to do that in the West. It’s no secret that we are not playing the right way and we have to play better.”
Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who had 14 points and only one rebound, offered an optimistic tone.
“We knew Doc was going to be emotional,” Griffin said. “We were all emotional … not necessarily emotional but passionate about what we were seeing. Some good is going to come from this.”
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