Doc Rivers had one of his best seasons as a coach this past year given what he was able to accomplish with a roster that was gutted of all of its star players, and many felt the success of the Los Angeles Clippers was enough to warrant Coach of the Year honors. Rivers may have felt that way, too.
After the Coach of the Year Award went to Mike Budenholzer at the NBA Awards on Monday night, Rivers looked genuinely stunned. It may have been a coincidence, but his face was that of a man who believed he was snubbed.
Doc Rivers reaction to not winning Coach of the Year pic.twitter.com/OhTMs7L8y1
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 25, 2019
Rivers inherited a Clippers team with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. All three are gone now, and he still managed to lead the team to a 48-win season last year. LA also won two playoff games before being bounced by the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. Rivers did a lot with very little, which is why you could have made a case for him winning the award over Budenholzer.
If it makes Doc feel any better, at least he wasn’t roasted while also being overlooked for the award. James Harden can tell him all about what that is like.
