Doc Rivers Is Out as Los Angeles Clippers Coach

The Clippers, who have never made it to the conference finals in the playoffs, entered the season with arguably their best roster ever, stretching back to the 1970-71 season when they were known as the Buffalo Braves. Last summer, they acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, giving the team a fearsome duo to go toe-to-toe with the other starry Los Angeles pair, LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers.

But the Clippers seemed to have difficulty gelling all season. Even so, they were the second seed in the Western Conference and were on the doorstep of the conference finals, up 3-1 on the Denver Nuggets. But for the second consecutive series, the Nuggets reeled off three straight wins to advance to the next round, shocking the Clippers.

Rivers joined the Clippers in 2013, five years after winning a championship with the Boston Celtics. In his first year, Rivers led the Clippers to 57 wins and a first-round playoff win. This would be his most successful season.

The next year, Rivers was promoted to president of basketball operations — giving him the rare authority over personnel decisions and on-court play. But in 2017, Rivers lost the front office job after the Clippers continued to falter in the playoffs, even with the All-Stars Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan in their primes.

Rivers has been an N.B.A. coach for two decades and compiled a regular-season record of 943-681. In 2000, his first year as coach, he won the Coach of the Year Award with the Orlando Magic. With the Clippers, Rivers went 356-208, a .631 winning percentage. He led the franchise to its best stretch in its history: six playoff trips in seven seasons, and three postseason series wins. But Rivers also has a dubious distinction: He is the only N.B.A. coach to ever lose three seven-game series after leading, 3-1.