NBA Awards 2019: 3 reasons why Doc Rivers should win the Coach of the Year Award

Doc Rivers has had a long and storied career as an NBA coach. He started in 1999 as the head coach of the Orlando Magic where he won the Coach of the Year award at the end of his very first season in 2000. He continued with the Magic till the 2003-04 season where he was fired after the team started with just a 1-10 record.

In 2004, Rivers signed with the Boston Celtics, one of the most successful franchises NBA history. In his 9 seasons with the Celtics, Rivers led them to the playoffs 7 times. Of these 7 playoff appearances, Boston won the NBA Championship once in 2008 and made it to the finals in 2010 where they came up short to the Los Angeles Lakers.

After leaving the Celtics and signing with the Clippers in 2013, Rivers has made it to the playoffs all but once but never made it past the semis. Rivers now has a chance to win the Coach of the Year award once again.

He is a nominee to win the award for a second time along with Michael Malone and Mike Budenholzer. While all three are excellent coaches, Rivers has an edge and should be the recipient of the award. Here's why.

#3 Clippers exceeded expectations

Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Clippers - Game Six

Heading into the 2018-19, the Clippers weren't expected to make much of their season. ESPN predicted that they would win 37 games at best and place 11th in the West. At first glance, this seemed like a reasonable expectation. The best player on the team was Tobias Harris before he was traded at the deadline.

After the deadline, the expectations for the team dropped even lower. However, under the leadership of Rivers, the players willed their way to a 48-34 record which was good enough for the 8th seed in a very competitive Western Conference.

The Clippers came to be known as the scrappy and gritty bunch that put their hearts out on the floor every single night. With this effort, they managed to exceed the expectations that everyone had for them at the beginning of the season.

#2 Clippers had no clear-cut star

Los Angeles Clippers v Golden State Warriors - Game Five

In the modern-day NBA, most would not give any team the recognition it deserves unless it has a star or a superstar on it. The most successful teams have at least one or more stars on their roster that carry the team to the playoffs.

This was not the case for the Clippers. Until the trade deadline, Tobias Harris was seen as the best player on the team. While at 26 years of age. he is an up and coming player, he is not yet seen as a star in the league. After the deadline, Lou Williams was considered as the best player on the team.

Doc Rivers was somehow able to bring the best out of his team to get them mentally ready before each game. Whether the outcome was a win or a loss, Rivers' Clippers put up a fight every single night, largely thanks to his leadership.

#1 Rivers was able to maximize and adapt

Dealing with different players and different egos can sometimes prove to be a tough task. Luckily for the Clippers, this was something Rivers had extensive experience with. During his time with the Boston Celtics, he managed many stars and found a lot of success in his ways.

Being a team without any 'stars' as such, Rivers had to call on his experience and basketball IQ to really get the most out of his team. Firstly, he got everyone to buy into what they were doing and their roles within the team. Every single player on that roster believed that they belonged in the playoffs. Secondly, he used his rotations and minutes management to perfection.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montrezl Harrell were given the time and trust to come into their own and had breakout years for the team while scoring veterans like Williams and Gallinari were given the time they needed to do what they do best.

All of the Clippers' efforts came to fruition when they made it to the first round of the playoffs against the Warriors. It was predicted that they wouldn't win a single game against the Warriors, but shocked the world as they pushed the series to 6 games, including an incredible 31-point comeback win.

Of the three nominees, Rivers brought about the most growth in his team and had them stay focused on their way to shattering all expectations of them this season.

Also read: 3 reasons why Montrezl Harrell should win the Sixth Man of the Year award