Austin Rivers gets emotional after breakout game in Clippers' win over Rockets

Published May. 9, 2015 3:39 a.m. ET

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The fans were chanting "Aus-tin Riv-ers!" Friday night at Staples Center. Not just one round of chants but two. "Aus-tin Riv-ers!

And not just one round of chants but two. 

"Austin Rivers!"

Then he got a standing ovation when he was subbed out in the fourth quarter and Chris Paul, came back in the game. 

That was something. A scene critics never could've imagined when Rivers, the son of Clippers coach and president Doc Rivers, was involved in a three-team trade from New Orleans to land here with his father to become the NBA's first father-coach duo on the same team.

That's no longer what Rivers is most well-known for. He was trending on social media with his career-best playoff game, in this his first postseason, as he scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter to lift the Clippers past Houston 124-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. 

Rivers had 16 points in the Clippers' 23-0 run to start the rout and now the Clippers lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 on Sunday at Staples Center. 

"It was fun man," Rivers said. "I had so much fun out there. It started with our defense. We kept getting stops, so we were just getting the rebound and going. 

"In transition, they were getting lost a little bit, and I just kept seeing they were kind of backpedaling. It's hard to guard when changing directions, so I was just going at them. If they would've converged, I would've passed but I just kept getting to the basket."

Austin Rivers has put his stamp on this game and this team. He had a breakthrough game in the Clippers' Game 4 victory over the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs with a career-best 16 points in 17 minutes off the bench. But his performance meant so much more to the Clippers since they were blown out the game before and in a dangerous spot against the Spurs. 

At the end of Game 2, with the Clippers trailing, Austin Rivers dribbled the ball around his back, lost control and the ball bounced off his head and out of bounds. Rivers was face down on the court for a second over the turnover. He said Blake Griffin talked about his turnover against the Spurs in Game 2 in which Griffin lost the ball with 11 seconds left and a 2-point Clippers lead. It happens. 

During a timeout in the third quarter on Friday, Paul had some advice for Doc Rivers and it had nothing to do with basketball. It was picked up on the national broadcast of the game since Rivers was wearing a microphone. Paul told Rivers: "This is the one time where you can be a dad and not just coach."

Then Paul gave a pat to Doc Rivers' chest. 

Still, Doc Rivers was in game-mode. Coach-mode. The proud father was there under all the X's and O's. Watching his son go to work surely was gratifying, as it will be on film, too. 

Rivers attacked the Rockets in the lane for layups, and he knocked down 3-pointers and had so much confidence he even mimicked the James Harden signature cooking celebratory move. Asked why he did that, Rivers laughed and said he didn't know and wasn't going to comment.

The confident, talkative, sometimes blunt Austin Rivers was speechless for a moment.  

Fans loved every ball-handling move and drive to the basket as Rivers made 10 of 13 shots. 

From that January trade, that was picked apart by critics, to the sound of Austin Rivers' name ringing in their ears on Friday. 

"Honestly, I don't hear the noise, you know me by now," Doc Rivers said. "I don't know what's being said. I don't care. We did (the trade) for the right reasons. That was good.

"Hearing fans chant your son's name is cool. Hearing the fans cheer any of your players' names is really cool. That usually means something good is happening in the game. I know it sounds stark, but that's really where I am mentally with all of this, you know. I think you have to be."

Austin Rivers allowed himself to get emotional when asked if this was the crowning moment in his young career. 

"I really don't know what to tell you," Rivers said, then let out a deep breath. "It's been a long journey. Continued to work through my rookie year. I was hurt a lot. Up and down. Last year, same thing. I just got right this summer. Really put a lot of work in. More than I ever have in my life. I came into this season with a lot of confidence through my hard work. When I came here to L.A., I can't give enough credit to the coaches and the players I play with. Working with Chris, every day, and working with guys like Jamal and J.J. and Blake. Feels I just keep getting better and better."

When Austin Rivers was done with postgame interviews, Dwight Howard walked by, congratulated him on a good game and shook his hand. 

Austin Rivers has surprised others but surely not himself. He's always had confidence, since he started playing basketball at 6 years old. 

"People don't know what I've been through. It seems that once I stepped foot in L.A., I saw an opportunity and took it, and haven't looked back," Austin Rivers said. "Veterans here have accepted me and put pressure on me. That can do things to different players. For me, it made me accept it. I want that. What it does is naturally make you better if you accept the challenge, and I did. 'We need you to do this, can you do it?' I said, 'Yeah.' It feels like I just kept getting better and better. Now I'm just playing like all the other guys, Chris, and all the guys. Just go play hard and have fun. That's my mindset now."

Veterans help him and joke with him. That Blake Griffin video, that went viral, mimicking Austin Rivers driving to the basket and throwing up a wild shot, was a perfect example of Rivers fitting in with this team.

Austin Rivers was candid about his relationship with his father in thinking about looking back on these moments one day. When Doc Rivers was coaching in Boston and led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship, Austin and his siblings and mom were living in Orlando. Doc Rivers flew to as many of his son's games as he could, but the two lived in different states for as much as nine months a year. 

"I wish you guys could see it from where I'm sitting," Austin Rivers said. "Obviously, you can't. Our relationship has just always been coach-player. That's the way it's always been. He (was) in Boston. I grew up in Orlando. Every time we talk, it's always about basketball.

"When I came here, it's been kind of solidified. I'm the coach. I'm the player. He's hard on me. Ask J.J. (Redick). It's just because he wants the best out of me, and obviously looking toward the future, we'll probably look back at this, but I feel the bottle has been open. It's just one game, and I'm going to keep playing hard."

Austin Rivers tried to do that in New Orleans. He never worked his way into the starting lineup there, and the Pelicans didn't pick up his option for a fourth year. It wasn't working out for either side. 

Now, with the Clippers, Austin Rivers is averaging nine points and 1.2 assists per game in the postseason. He made his first two postseason starts in Games 1 and 2 of this series for the injured Paul. 

They say change is good, and for Austin Rivers, that change of scenery and new teammates and new coaches and the family connection, that's good. 

And maybe hearing his name chanted again wouldn't be so bad.

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