Doc Rivers recently spoke out on one of the biggest stains in his NBA coaching career.
Rivers is one of the most well-respected coaches in NBA history. He has an NBA championship ring in his trophy cabinet and is more than likely going to surpass Phil Jackson for the seventh-most coaching wins in NBA history before the regular season ends.
But Rivers is also the only coach in NBA history to have lost multiple playoff series with his team holding a 3-1 lead over their opponents. A total of three Rivers-coached teams have blown 3-1 leads.
During a recent interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Rivers called it “unfair” that his unenviable record during 3-1 playoff series is used against him so often.
“It is what it is,” Rivers told Spears. “It’s part of my legacy. There’s nothing I can do about it.
“…No one tells a real story. And I’m fine with that. It’s unfair in some ways. I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins. I get credit for losing. I always say, ‘What if we had lost to Houston in six?’ No one cares. One of the things that I’m proud of is we’ve never been swept. All the coaches have been swept in the playoffs. My teams achieve. A lot of them overachieve and I’m very proud of that.”
Rivers argued that his blown 3-1 leads deserve proper context. The first one came during the first round of the 2003 Eastern Conference playoffs. He was coaching an 8-seed Orlando Magic team that took a Finals-bound Detroit Pistons team to the brink of elimination.
Rivers also argued that an injury to Chris Paul during the 2015 Western Conference semifinals is what ultimately doomed his Los Angeles Clippers squad. The Clippers ended up blowing a 3-1 lead to a James Harden-led Houston Rockets team.
The most recent instance happened during the Clippers’ 2020 playoff run, Rivers’ first with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The team fell one game short of forcing an all-Los Angeles Western Conference Finals, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets.
Rivers can always point to his title-winning 2007-08 season with the Boston Celtics. But Rivers’ blown 3-1 leads will always be used against him, no matter the context.
