Doc Rivers Jokes He Reported LeBron James To The 'Snitch Hotline'
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he's using the "snitch hotline" to his advantage.
Rivers joked he ratted out LeBron James to the anonymous hotline that the NBA setup to report protocol violations so that his team could have a leg up over their competition.
"I turned in LeBron yesterday," Rivers told reporters in a video conference call Wednesday. "I'm turning in Pop [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] today. I'm trying to turn all these guys in. I think it's phenomenal. We're going to be the only team left when I'm done with this hotline thing."
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, people inside the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World have been telling on each other since the 22 teams showed up for the resumed NBA season last week.
“Multiple tips have been placed into the NBA’s anonymous hotline to report protocol violations on campus,” Charania tweeted on Tuesday.
Two players are serving 10-day quarantines for breaking the league's rules, including Sacramento Kings center Richaun Holmes, who left the bubble to pickup food delivery, and Houston Rockets forward Bruno Caboclo, who left his room during his initial two-day quarantine.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said Wednesday that he's going to be extra cautious as the Lakers try to compete for their first championship since 2010.
"Let’s just follow the rules and get back to playing," he said. "That’s my mindset. I’m gonna follow all the rules that’s here. I just want to be back to playing basketball and do what we here for."
The Lakers, who are atop the Western Conference with a record of 49-14, play the second-place Clippers (44-20) on the first day of the NBA restart on July 30.
The Lakers lost two of their three games against the Clippers this season, with their lone win on March 8, 112-103, in their final game before the season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 58 points in that game.
Alex Caruso acknowledged that the Lakers may have to shake off some rust in their next game against the Clippers, 144 days after their last meeting.
"I don’t think we can expect us to be at that same level that we dropped off at a couple months ago, especially coming back [in the] first games," Caruso said Wednesday. "It’s going to be different than what people were seeing back in April. But I’m confident that we’re going to pick it up and we’re going to be back at championship level as soon as we can."
