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Doc Rivers Has a Surprising Take on Blowing Multiple 3–1 Leads in Postseason

He's the only coach in NBA history to blow multiple 3–1 leads.

Eva Geitheim

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers.
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Though Doc Rivers has been named one of the top 15 coaches in NBA history, he also developed an unfortunate reputation for blowing 3–1 leads in the postseason. Rivers, who has worked as the head coach for five different NBA franchises, has blown three separate 3–1 leads while coaching in the playoffs. He is the only coach in NBA history to blow multiple 3-1 playoff series leads, which he has often drawn criticism for.

Rivers responded to that criticism during an interview with Andscape's Marc J. Spears, suggesting that he hasn't gotten enough credit for holding a lead in the first place.

"It is what it is. It’s part of my legacy," Rivers told Spears. "There’s nothing I can do about it. I got a team that was an eight seed up 3–1. That is coaching. That is not bad coaching. The one with the Clippers is the only one that got away. But people don’t realize that Chris Paul was running on one leg [in 2015 with the Clippers] and we were also the underdog in that series. When you think about it, Houston had home court, not us."

Rivers continued, "No one tells a real story. And I’m fine with that. It’s unfair in some ways. I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins. I get credit for losing. I always say, ‘What if we had lost to Houston in six?’ No one cares. One of the things that I’m proud of is we’ve never been swept. All the coaches have been swept in the playoffs. My teams achieve. A lot of them overachieve and I’m very proud of that."

Rivers first saw one of his teams lose a 3–1 lead during the 2003 postseason with the Orlando Magic, crumbling at the end of the first-round series to the Detroit Pistons. Rivers's Clippers teams also let 3–1 leads slip twice, in the 2015 and 2020 playoffs.

His postseason reputation has been marred by those defeats, but Rivers is still a champion, having led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals win in 2008. That hasn't stopped the criticism about Rivers blowing 3–1 leads, but at least balances the narrative.

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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