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The Clippers in the series 3-1 lost three straight games and advanced to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
Coach Doc Rivers doesn’t think the planned title will put too much pressure on his team.
“We didn’t measure up to them,” Rivers said of expectations. – That is the most important. I’m a coach, I take the blame for that. However, we clearly didn’t meet our expectations either, because if we were, I think we would still be playing. “
The Clippers scored 16, 19, and 12 points in the last three games lost at different points in the game, but failed to take the win.
Rivers became the first coach in history to lose three times in a series in which his team leads 3-1. The first time it happened was in 2003, when he was training for the Orlando Magic, when he lost to the Detroit Pistons, and the second time, in front of the Clippers, when he lost to the Houston Rockets.
The Los Angeles team has been considered one of the favorites to win the title since inviting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last summer.
“It sucks,” said Lou Williams, who hit 4 3s of 27 on the series. “Simple, it just sucks. We lead 3-1. We had two chances to win the series, but we didn’t.
When we faced problems, we were drawn to talent. But not the atmosphere. He killed us in this series. “
Simple, it just sucks
Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, who triumphed with the Toronto Raptors last season, says the Clippers need to improve their basketball IQ.
“We just couldn’t hit,” Leonard said, hitting himself once on 11 attempts in the second half. – So it all comes down to the atmosphere of the team, knowing that you need to run, you need to run with the ball. Or unleash other players when you see opponents double their defenses and so on. We need to know the specific places we need to be.
And you know, you just need to go further and become a smarter team. Just get smarter. Basketball’s IQ should go up. “
In nearly 23 decisive minutes, the Nuggets won 50:28.
“I never felt good. It just wasn’t like that, Rivers said about the 3-1 lead. – I just knew that in terms of the condition of the players, not everyone could play a lot of minutes, it was tough. There were two or three. times during the game where we started playing and a guy had to sit on a bench. That’s right. So no, I didn’t feel comfortable. I can say that. I told our other coaches. “
Throughout the season, the Clippers team struggled to find common ground and the atmosphere in the team was not ideal.
“We have had a lot of difficulties,” George said. – That was already the case. You know, the guys had to go home for big reasons. We went a long time without being together, with injuries both in the regular season and in the bubble.
There was certainly obvious pressure to make the title dream come true. As a player, you know, you really want that. There are no excuses. The most important fact is that we did not meet expectations.
But I think we always felt that this was not our championship year. You know, we can only get better with time. The better the environment, the better for everyone. “
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