The Los Angeles Clippers felt the full wrath of coach Doc Rivers after they dropped Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in embarrassing fashion.
One day after the Clippers’ 100-73 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, Rivers tore into his team during a heated, two-hour film session.
“Doc pretty much went at all of us,” point guard Chris Paul said, via ESPN.com. “He told us about ourselves, told us about what we didn’t do in Game 3. And he told us, when it comes to the playoffs, it’s the players’ time.”
The former Boston Celtics coach’s fire had the desired effect. Los Angeles came back to earn a 115-104 win Sunday in Game 4, evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.
Rivers’ often-criticized son, Austin, played a key role for the Clippers in the win, scoring 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 17 minutes off the bench.
“It was hard to watch because you see all the stuff you did wrong,” Austin Rivers said of the film session, via FOXSports.com. “It was good for us. We held each other accountable in the meeting. Guys said what they had to say. It helped us. it was a big growing moment. We’ve got to keep going. The series is tied. We didn’t win. We have a lot of work to do.”
Rivers’ breakout performance reportedly brought tears to the eyes of his father, who acquired the 22-year-old point guard in a trade earlier this season.
“For a moment, for a half-second maybe, I became a dad in there,” Doc Rivers told Yahoo! Sports after the game.
Thumbnail photo via Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports Images
