only coach in nba playoff history to lose TWO series after leading 3-1

[sportsfanatic]

[jjgold]

He has to get fired

[existential]

you guys just don't understand, Rivers is going absolutely nowhere until he decides to. Clippers are all-in with Doc and he has more power than their GM, it's a laughable arrangement.

Doc has been placed on a pedestal for a long time, just the way it is. thing is, Thibodeau was the main guy in Boston to get them over the hump.

[seaborneq]

you guys just don't understand, Rivers is going absolutely nowhere until he decides to. Clippers are all-in with Doc and he has more power than their GM, it's a laughable arrangement.

Doc has been placed on a pedestal for a long time, just the way it is. thing is, Thibodeau was the main guy in Boston to get them over the hump.

Thibs can get Doc's team over the hump, but not his own team???????? Really???? Come again. This game looks just like Thibs team did at home in Game 6 against a depleted Cavs team. Mathew Della va dova????

[jtoler]

How many minutes did Doc play.

[Vinnie Paz]

Guy is a joke. Needed 3 hall of famers to win anything

[existential]

Thibs can get Doc's team over the hump, but not his own team???????? Really???? Come again. This game looks just like Thibs team did at home in Game 6 against a depleted Cavs team. Mathew Della va dova????

i don't think you really understood my post. my point simply was, Thibs was the secret weapon to make the Celtics successful. their defense had been horrid before his arrival and he completely changed that. it was a night and day transformation.

that doesn't mean that Thibs is the better "head" coach between he and Doc. it just means that Doc wouldn't have gotten his title as head coach (and his suddenly 'elite' status that came with it) without Thibs. that's just a simple fact.

[Booya711]

Doc and his son are both terrible

[dfish]

i don't think you really understood my post. my point simply was, Thibs was the secret weapon to make the Celtics successful. their defense had been horrid before his arrival and he completely changed that. it was a night and day transformation.

that doesn't mean that Thibs is the better "head" coach between he and Doc. it just means that Doc wouldn't have gotten his title as head coach (and his suddenly 'elite' status that came with it) without Thibs. that's just a simple fact.

Nailed it

[goduke]

they wont fire him. Hes black owner is white. Too early to fire him after last years stuff. He will need to suck next year before they get rid of him

[Ratpack]

Scotty brooks has been to an nba finals and to a conference finals just last year and he gets fired. Rivers has never been to a conference finals with supposedly the best pg and a top 5 power forward and he keeps his job? If this happened in new york he would be gone and if he played for that other la team he would be gone

[Mac4Lyfe]

That time out Doc called in game 6 with a 3 on 2 fastbreak with 3 minutes to go in the 3rd was the worst timeout I've ever seen since Chris Webber. They had all the momentum, up 19 points and that idiot stopped his own fast break. The team lost all momentum, lost the game and the rest is history. One timeout cost this series. Idiot.

[High3rEl3m3nt]

Hard to blame this series on Doc, what with that bench and all.

[seaborneq]

you guys just don't understand, Rivers is going absolutely nowhere until he decides to. Clippers are all-in with Doc and he has more power than their GM, it's a laughable arrangement.

Doc has been placed on a pedestal for a long time, just the way it is. thing is, Thibodeau was the main guy in Boston to get them over the hump.

I'll give more of the credit to KG than Thibs for getting Doc over the hump. Big difference when KG is the anchor of your defense in his prime versus who is calling the plays. Thibs has Noah, Gibson, and Gasol and couldn't stop a depleted Cavs team. So which defense a team is in is not as important as who is actually playing defense.

[TwoWays]

Ok guys lets stop with the hate. Game and series is done. Let us all move on and bet on Mexican soccer. Dirty sanchez check in

[jtoler]

Starters burned out, need a bench. Jordan really doesn't have a backup. Hawes 35 mil for what, Crawford only scorer on bench. Few more pieces they will prob get over the hump.

[seaborneq]

Starters burned out, need a bench. Jawed 35 mil for what, Crawford only scorer on bench. Few more pieces they will prob get over the hump.

They need Thibs on the bench calling the defense. That will get them over the hump. They don't need a bench or even 5 players on the floor, just a defensive coordinator to call the plays from the sideline.

[jtoler]

They need Thibs on the bench calling the defense. That will get them over the hump. They don't need a bench or even 5 players on the floor, just a defensive coordinator to call the plays from the sideline.

Serious?

[seaborneq]

Serious?

That's what the previous posters think. Thibs is god, can do no wrong, made Doc like Ali made Cosell.

[jjgold]

was one of greatest collapses in nba history

[existential]

Hard to blame this series on Doc, what with that bench and all.

actually, it's 150% on Doc since he has ultimate authority over player personnel as well. not only does he hand-pick his guys, but he's responsible for coaching them and knowing how to utilize them in rotations. but his rotations have been non-existent for the most part because he can't develop a bench.

again, however, he's so engrained into the organization that his exit will only occur when he wants out. and that won't happen anytime soon, it's only been 2 seasons thus far. he basically threatened Boston with retirement if they didn't trade him to the Clippers. and he really wanted that situation because of the Paul-Griffin-Jordan trio, as it's his belief you need a Big 3 to win in this league.

[ThaTopMoron]

Clips were done bec Crawford & Redick went cold from 3 pt land after coasting to a gm 5 loss...

[Auto Donk]

How many minutes did Doc play.

u could tell he wanted to...... fck, he ran onto the court past the freethrow line immediately upon one time out being taken..... as he'd started his little jrny to the stripe even before the ref blew the whistle, I think he gets credit for one minute.....

[seaborneq]

actually, it's 150% on Doc since he has ultimate authority over player personnel as well. not only does he hand-pick his guys, but he's responsible for coaching them and knowing how to utilize them in rotations. but his rotations have been non-existent for the most part because he can't develop a bench.

again, however, he's so engrained into the organization that his exit will only occur when he wants out. and that won't happen anytime soon, it's only been 2 seasons thus far. he basically threatened Boston with retirement if they didn't trade him to the Clippers. and he really wanted that situation because of the Paul-Griffin-Jordan trio, as it's his belief you need a Big 3 to win in this league.

I do agree with you on this point. Spot on. A team's bench is only as good as the results it spurns. No one ever complains of benches until a team either loses or wins big. Otherwise its a non issue. In the playoffs with days off between games and lose or go home I don't see why guys don't play 45+ per game, you will get a days rest in between. Screw the bench, go to the limit and put the best guys out there at 80+% rather than Big Baby, Lil Doc, and Crawford out there at 100%.

[jtoler]

I do agree with you on this point. Spot on. A team's bench is only as good as the results it spurns. No one ever complains of benches until a team either loses or wins big. Otherwise its a non issue. In the playoffs with days off between games and lose or go home I don't see why guys don't play 45+ per game, you will get a days rest in between. Screw the bench, go to the limit and put the best guys out there at 80+% rather than Big Baby, Lil Doc, and Crawford out there at 100%.

Serious? Your posts are tricky for me, I can't tell.

[seaborneq]

Serious? Your posts are tricky for me, I can't tell.

When a team loses then the bench was piss poor, and when a team wins big its because the bench held the car in the road until the starters returned. I should have said "mentioned" instead of complains.

[Seattle Slew]

Rivers is an average NBA coach, no better. He doesn't make teams better. His biggest asset is he lets the players do anything they want, just like he did with Rondo, and now Rondo finds out he can't do that with some NBA coaches.

I lost with LA, but at least we don't have to watch that idiot owner anymore.

[Git Lo]

Clippers have made improvements every year. They weren't even suppose to play the Spurs first round and they won and they were that close to the WCF. Why would they fire him? and replace him with who? /thread

[existential]

Clippers have made improvements every year.

let's look at that closer..

Del Negro took the Clippers from 32 wins in his first year (2010) to 56 wins in his last year (2013), at which point he was basically fired (contract not renewed) when he lost in the 1st round and Chris Paul wanted him out. Paul was a free agent that off-season, so Sterling had no choice but to move on from Del Negro.

Doc inherited Del Negro's 56 win team from 2013 and has subsequently won 57 and 56 games respectfully in his first two seasons. The marked 'improvement' with the Clippers in this time has been 2 first round playoff series wins. However, each of those were by the absolute slimmest of margins possible. Whatsmore, they got embarrassed by the Thunder in the 2nd round last year and of course just choked in epic fashion against the Rockets.

So the 'improvement' vs. Del Negro is pretty negligible when all said and done. Again, Doc inherited the Clips after their Big 3 just started to gel and won 56 games in 2013. Doc has thus had the huge benefit of having his Big 3 for two of their prime, peak years together.

Would Del Negro have won 57 and 56 games over the last 2 years? I don't see why he wouldn't have, as he already accomplished that by the time he was basically fired.

They weren't even suppose to play the Spurs first round and they won and they were that close to the WCF. Why would they fire him? and replace him with who? /thread

Again, not in a million years will they fire him for this. I think a lot of people just want to see some fall-out for what's happened here. I'm obviously of the opinion that Rivers' level of "status" within the league is overstated, but when push comes to shove, he's still maintained Del Negro's wins and won a couple playoff series while at it.

The bottom line is that Doc forced himself into his arrangement with the Clippers and was very crafty and conniving about it from the beginning. He then further leveraged himself (with the help of Adam Silver and his witch hunt of Donald Sterling) into the President of Operations role with the Clippers. Both the NBA and the Clippers organization are seemingly tied to the hip with Doc in L.A., for better or worse. And Doc will happily ride it out with his Big 3 for as long as those 3 last, simple as that.

[survive]

let's look at that closer..

Del Negro took the Clippers from 32 wins in his first year (2010) to 56 wins in his last year (2013), at which point he was basically fired (contract not renewed) when he lost in the 1st round and Chris Paul wanted him out. Paul was a free agent that off-season, so Sterling had no choice but to move on from Del Negro.

Doc inherited Del Negro's 56 win team from 2013 and has subsequently won 57 and 56 games respectfully in his first two seasons. The marked 'improvement' with the Clippers in this time has been 2 first round playoff series wins. However, each of those were by the absolute slimmest of margins possible. Whatsmore, they got embarrassed by the Thunder in the 2nd round last year and of course just choked in epic fashion against the Rockets.

So the 'improvement' vs. Del Negro is pretty negligible when all said and done. Again, Doc inherited the Clips after their Big 3 just started to gel and won 56 games in 2013. Doc has thus had the huge benefit of having his Big 3 for two of their prime, peak years together.

Would Del Negro have won 57 and 56 games over the last 2 years? I don't see why he wouldn't have, as he already accomplished that by the time he was basically fired.



Again, not in a million years will they fire him for this. I think a lot of people just want to see some fall-out for what's happened here. I'm obviously of the opinion that Rivers' level of "status" within the league is overstated, but when push comes to shove, he's still maintained Del Negro's wins and won a couple playoff series while at it.

The bottom line is that Doc forced himself into his arrangement with the Clippers and was very crafty and conniving about it from the beginning. He then further leveraged himself (with the help of Adam Silver and his witch hunt of Donald Sterling) into the President of Operations role with the Clippers. Both the NBA and the Clippers organization are seemingly tied to the hip with Doc in L.A., for better or worse. And Doc will happily ride it out with his Big 3 for as long as those 3 last, simple as that.

You've hit the nail on the head with all your posts in this thread. Good stuff man.

Doc deserves a ton of blame simply because of his GM skills. Paying the wrong people (Hawes), trading for the wrong people (his son instead of a improving their wing rotation), thin roster depth, etc.

[eidolon]

Bring in Jackson zen!

[yisman]

Rivers had never blown a 3-1 series lead before. I don't think any coach has done it twice.


It was the ninth time it happened.

Last time was 2006. Lakers led Phoenix 3-1 and lost.

[existential]

Rivers had never blown a 3-1 series lead before. I don't think any coach has done it twice.

you're wrong.

he blew a 3-1 lead in 2003 vs. the Pistons when he coached the Magic.

[yisman]

ok 12 years ago and several teams ago

I didn't remember that

they were an 8th seed and lost to the 1 seed.

[MoMoneyMoVaughn]

I do not think Doc will be fired. They had a very good season this year. The issue is that with a group with such significant upside, it is championship or bust.

I know this series loss certainly looks bad on paper but they will be back next year as a Western Conference playoff team. I honestly feel as if you can only lay so much blame at Doc's feet. He wen't to the WCSF two years in a row in his first two years with the team, though with that being said, with arguably one of the more talented squads in all of the league.

I think he will be back. So will the clippers.