Doc Rivers Reveals Why His Clippers Failed

The Doc Rivers era in Los Angeles is filled with disappointing endings. From Lob City to the first season of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers regularly underachieved under Rivers.

When the 2020 season shut down and ultimately resumed in the bubble, the Clippers were expected to at least make the Western Conference Finals, setting up a potential series with the Los Angeles Lakers. Ultimately blowing a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers were eliminated, marking another year in which a Rivers-led group failed to reach the Conference Finals.

During a recent ESPN segment, Rivers spoke briefly on the Clippers' failures under him, saying they did not get along well enough to win. While it is unclear whether he is referencing Lob City or that first year with Leonard and George, both teams fit the description to some extent.

"Not trying to take anything away from that [Clippers] team. That team was never going to win... we just didn't get along well enough as a group & you can't win without cooperation."

Doc Rivers on which team this Sixers group reminds him ofpic.twitter.com/NEN9JpJGce
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 13, 2023

While team chemistry is very important, and both Lob City and the 2020 Clippers had confirmed issues in that department, there were still deeper problems that caused the playoff collapses. Rivers relying heavily on back up center Montrezl Harrell in 2020, particularly with Nikola Jokic on the court, was a major reason that team blew a 3-1 lead. Similar strategical mistakes were also prevalent during Lob City, which helped produce several disappointing finishes.

Now with the 76ers, Rivers is hoping for better outcomes than what occurred in LA.

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