The Batman
05-16-2014, 07:57 AM
But was he angry, incensed that banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling's hateful words sparked this controversy that enveloped his championship-caliber team for these past three weeks? Of course he's angry.
"You've got enough to deal with (in the playoffs), and that fact that we had to deal with this," Rivers told USA TODAY Sports as he left. "Especially focus (from players). That was my whole thing. That's what I was concerned with. You know, it's just the hand you were dealt. And the way I've always lived it is you just deal with it."
The now-infamous call in the Thunder's Game 5 win that sent Rivers into a $25,000-fine-worthy tirade was proof enough on its own that it doesn't take much to flip the script in a playoff series. And that was one play, mind you. The Sterling mess was a 24-7 saga, one that no dominated their worlds and left their emotional gas tanks dry. There's the ball not bouncing your way, and then there's this.
"We tried to handle it, and Doc did an excellent job handling it as best he could, but there was definitely a cloud over us," Clippers guard Jamal Crawford told USA TODAY Sports as he said his goodbyes to staff members and teammates alike. "It's no excuse, but it was distracting to all of us."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2014/05/16/doc-rivers-donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-vs-oklahoma-city-thunder-game-6/9162533/
"You've got enough to deal with (in the playoffs), and that fact that we had to deal with this," Rivers told USA TODAY Sports as he left. "Especially focus (from players). That was my whole thing. That's what I was concerned with. You know, it's just the hand you were dealt. And the way I've always lived it is you just deal with it."
The now-infamous call in the Thunder's Game 5 win that sent Rivers into a $25,000-fine-worthy tirade was proof enough on its own that it doesn't take much to flip the script in a playoff series. And that was one play, mind you. The Sterling mess was a 24-7 saga, one that no dominated their worlds and left their emotional gas tanks dry. There's the ball not bouncing your way, and then there's this.
"We tried to handle it, and Doc did an excellent job handling it as best he could, but there was definitely a cloud over us," Clippers guard Jamal Crawford told USA TODAY Sports as he said his goodbyes to staff members and teammates alike. "It's no excuse, but it was distracting to all of us."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2014/05/16/doc-rivers-donald-sterling-los-angeles-clippers-vs-oklahoma-city-thunder-game-6/9162533/