Skip to main content

Doc Rivers says L.A. Clippers are Trying to "Win the Wait"

L.A. Clippers coach Doc Rivers says his team has adopted the phrase "win the wait" amid the NBA suspension.

The NBA hiatus hasn't been easy for a lot of people. The fans, of course, are struggling, but the spread of the coronavirus has thrown an unexpected wrench into the plans and routines of the league's franchises. 

Look at it this way. Today is March 30. The L.A. Clippers were supposed to host the Indiana Pacers tonight and then play 8 more games before the regular season came to an end and the postseason began. Now, there's uncertainty as to whether the rest of those regular-season games — or any of the postseason, for that matter — will be played at all. 

It's an unprecedented situation, and all teams can do now is wait — something the Clippers coach Doc Rivers assures his team can do. He said the following in a video shared by the team's official Twitter page

"We can't wait to get back and play," he said. "I'm going crazy right now. Every day I'm watching video and preparing. We have this saying around our team right now, it's, 'Win the Wait' and that's what we're trying to do, just win the wait."

Rivers also encouraged fans to stay safe and follow instructions during this difficult time.

"Let's be safe out there," he said. "Wash your hands and do all the things that'll keep us safe and all the things that everyone is telling us to do... The safer you are, the safer we all are, the quicker we can get back to doing our real jobs. Hang in there. Hang tough."

The Clippers organization has done a lot to ensure the safety and security of its fans and employees since the coronavirus outbreak shut the league down almost three weeks ago. L.A. teamed up with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings to continue to pay Staples Center employees, and Chairman Steve Ballmer pledged $25 million to help those in affected areas and to fund vaccine research.

Whenever the season does resume, it's easy to trust Rivers' word that L.A. will be prepared.