Sometimes it's good to be in the history books, and sometimes it's bad to be in the history books. Doc Rivers is on the verge of making history -- we just don't yet know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.
We won't know until Sunday afternoon, when the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
When the Clippers take the floor in Game 7, it will have been one week since they held a 3-1 lead over the Rockets. Two games have been played since then, with the Clippers losing both by a combined 33 points. Oh, how the series has changed.
With a win Sunday, Rivers will go down as the head coach who led the Clippers to their first conference finals. The good side of history. With a loss, Rivers will go down as the first NBA coach to lose two playoff series after holding a 3-1 lead, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The bad side of history.
Rivers led the Orlando Magic to a 3-1 lead over the Detroit Pistons in 2003 before losing three straight. The three Orlando losses came by a combined 61 points, all double-digit losses.
The Clippers lost games 5 and 6 by a combined 31 points, both double-digit losses. That sounds eerily similar, doesn't it?
While it's difficult to envision a Game 7 following the path of history, no one in their right mind saw the Rockets getting to a Game 7 after being down 19 points late in the third quarter of Game 6. How unlikely is that kind of comeback from the Rockets? How about 49 straight losses when trailing by 10 or more after three quarters?
This series has been unpredictable, to say the least.
Good luck, Doc.
