Austin Rivers is justifying the faith his father showed in bringing him to the Clippers, writes Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. It was dismissed as nepotism in many circles when coach Doc Rivers pushed for a three-way trade in January to acquire his son. But Austin Rivers has delivered three exceptional playoff games, including a 25-point performance in Friday night’s win over the Rockets. In the deal, the Celtics received Shavlik Randolph from Phoenix and Chris Douglas-Roberts and a second-round pick in 2017 from Los Angeles. The Suns picked up Reggie Bullock from the Clippers.
Here’s more from Los Angeles on a playoff Sunday:
- Doc RIvers has taught Austin about the fickle nature of fans, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. That helped him to understand how they could chant his name Friday night, even though they doubted him when he came to Los Angeles. “Is [former Oklahoma City coach] Scott Brooks really a bad coach,” Rivers asked. “Did [former Golden State coach] Mark Jackson really do that bad of a job? That’s just the ugly part of sports. When you do well, they love you. And when you don’t, they cut you off.” L.A. fans may have the chance to continue their relationship with Austin Rivers, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Two significant offseason additions are having no playoff impact for the team, notes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Spencer Hawes, who was given a four-year, $22.6MM free agent contract last summer, has been benched. The Clippers’ other free agent signing, Jordan Farmar, is no longer with the team after receiving a two-year deal worth $4.2MM. He received a buyout in January and is now playing in Turkey.