Doc Rivers brought to tears in interview session before Game 5

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers got emotional when discussing the team’s adversity in the 2016 NBA playoffs.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clippers coach Doc Rivers’s eyes welled with tears and he became choked up before his team’s 108–98 Game 5 loss against the Blazers.

During his pregame availability Wednesday night, Rivers was asked who he leans on to get through after losing injured stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

Rivers responded, “I don’t know,” and his dark eyes filled with tears. He paused and put his hand to his face in an attempt to keep any liquid from spilling out. He told the media that his emotional reaction wasn’t in response to the reporter’s question.

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He mentioned his late mother, Bettye Rivers, saying, “That would have been a person.”

Doc Rivers gets emotional when talking about his mother, Bettye, who passed away last year. pic.twitter.com/LQZmgKXjM8

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 28, 2016

She died last June in Maywood, Illinois, the Chicago suburb where Rivers grew up and starred at Proviso East High School.

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Rivers stared straight ahead in the quiet room before getting up and walking out.

The Clippers and Trail Blazers are tied 2–2. Griffin is out for the season after aggravating a quadriceps injury, while Paul broke his hand in Game 4 on Monday.