LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 24, 2020

Doc Rivers

Press Conference

Q. In watching the film from yesterday, is there anything -- I guess players could have done differently to change the outcome?

DOC RIVERS: Yeah, we could have played better. You know, but again, we've had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. I sound like a broken record, but there's obviously things we need to do as a staff, as well. But we absolutely just need to execute better on both ends.

Q. How did you process the news of the Wisconsin situation this year?

DOC RIVERS: Yeah, I mean, we've been processing the Wisconsin situation now for 58 years. That's how old I am. And it just keeps happening over and over again. It's just sad. I mean, it is. It's just sad. That's how I process it. I didn't see it until late last night. Actually I saw it on Ray Allen's post, of all people. It's just tough.

Q. You guys operated with a very big-picture approach all season when it came to just the way you guys handled everything. How does that change now that things have to be dealt with in a very small, immediate picture. Is that a challenge?

DOC RIVERS: No, it doesn't change much. I mean, we don't change a lot what we do. We still work the same. We still rest the same. You know, I think we were given the proper amount of off time during the season. I thought we were trending in a great direction, obviously. What happened since we've been in the bubble as far as guys missing and not being there, you know, I don't know what you can do about that. It just happened.

Every team is going through something, the way I look at it, like that, and some teams deal with it better than others, and in my opinion we haven't done a great job of it. I always think that falls on the coach.

Q. Have you felt the necessary sense of urgency out of your team? I know obviously you surged ahead big yesterday but then the foot comes off the gas a little bit. Is that the type of playoff attitude that you want out of your teams?

DOC RIVERS: Oh, clearly not, and we have exhibited that, and I would say that part we'd be disappointed.

Q. Obviously basketball is basketball, but yesterday you were stressing the mental strength of this team. Going into today how do you get that across to your guys?

DOC RIVERS: They know it. There's no secrets. You know, we've just got to -- number one, the one thing that's good, this team is close. They stick together. But we can't get them emotionally unattached in the game. It does happen. It happens to everyone. But we're up 21 and it was at that point as far as I could see, and I didn't like it.

Q. When you watched the film with PG, is there anything you're seeing outside of maybe is he just lacking confidence or is there anything schematically you can do to get him going? What's your history when you have a shooter who's struggling? How do you approach it?

DOC RIVERS: I just let him keep shooting. Listen, we clearly -- we've got to get him more shots, and that's on us. That's on all of us. But I just want to -- he got great looks last night, and I just want him to get more of those and take more of those. You know, he needs to shoot 20 plus times. He needs to get the ball up in the air. And he will. He will. He feel very confident about PG because I always have.

Q. You mentioned those self-inflicted wounds. Every team at this point will make mistakes, obviously --

DOC RIVERS: I can't disagree with that.

Q. The things you saw yesterday, were there some mistakes you felt were just inexcusable for kind of this point in the season?

DOC RIVERS: I honestly think game plan mistakes in the Playoffs are just inexcusable, period. You're going to make human mistakes as far as the way you play. You're going to miss lay-ups. You're going to miss jump shots, you're going to fall down, you're going to accidentally foul because I don't think anyone intentionally fouls for the most part. But the game plan mistakes just can't be made, and we're doing them in a major fashion.

Again, I always look at it, I've got to do a better job to get us not to do them.

Q. To what extent are you planning for Pat not to be able to play Games 5 and 6, and how does that affect your defensive schemes, especially the lineup or the way you're switching?

DOC RIVERS: Yeah, listen, if we had switched right last night, that match-up wouldn't have happened, so even that one we didn't do right. But Pat, I haven't heard one thing that he may play. That doesn't mean he might not. Right now I'm not planning on it, and so because of that, we have to make tough choices at the end of every game. That's just the way it is.

Q. Is that something about the way he leads those guys defensively?

DOC RIVERS: I mean, he's a big part of our defense, there's no doubt about that. He's the voice for sure. I mean, he's one of the loudest guys just talking schemes, and he does great homework, and we've given him the ability to do that, but we don't have him. I've never worried about that.

Listen, it would be great to have him. We obviously could use him. But we don't have him. I don't ever worry about the guys that aren't on the floor. We've just got to get the guys on the floor right.

Q. Just wondering during Landry's minutes what are you seeing from him offensively? Are you liking his decision making on that end?

DOC RIVERS: Yeah, overall -- Landry is not a point guard and I thought they pressured him a little more, which made other guys bring the ball up the floor, which is fine by us. I didn't think he attacked the way he attacked the game before. I thought he settled for quick shots instead of putting the ball on the floor. But I thought he did that in the second half.

One thing with Landry, everything you ask him to do he tries to do with 100 percent purity, and it's rare that I've fought anything he does. He's young, and he's going to keep getting better.