The Spurs vs. Clippers first round games have been everything we thought it would be, with Los Angeles winning on the road Thursday to set up a Game 7. However, Clippers coach Doc Rivers is upset that this was even a series to begin with, and he's not alone.
Doc Rivers says it’s a ‘joke’ that Clippers-Spurs is a first-round series
Rivers spoke out about the playoff seeding that forced two title favorites to face each other in the first round.
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“It’s ridiculous that it’s a first-round series,” Rivers told Yahoo Sports. “That was the first thing Pop said to me before Game 1, and I said the same thing. But we both decided, ‘What the hell, it is what it is.’ But this is ridiculous.”
Why is it ridiculous? The Portland Trail Blazers ended up as the No. 4 seed thanks to their division title despite only having the sixth-best record in the West. If the playoff picture were realigned purely by end-of-the-season records, the Clippers would have faced the Blazers and San Antonio would have drawn Memphis in the first round.
Rivers therefore thinks the format “has to” be changed. As a member of the NBA’s competition committee, his words have some power behind them.
“I don’t think the division should carry weight,” Rivers said. “You can get a banner. All right, you win your division. Take the banner. If our record is better, (a division title) shouldn’t supersede. That’s a joke.”
Game 7 between the two heavyweights will be played Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
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