Doc Rivers' Clippers Timeline: Epic Rise Or Epic Fail?
Doc Rivers coached the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013 to 2020, arriving after Boston traded him to L.A. in June 2013, winning a franchise-record 57 games in his first season, making the playoffs in six of seven years, and then being fired after the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to Denver in the 2020 bubble.
Doc Rivers' Clippers timeline, 2013 to 2020
The Clippers era is best understood as a seven-year arc that began with immediate regular-season success and ended with repeated postseason heartbreak. Rivers posted a 356-208 regular-season record with the Clippers, but the franchise never reached the Western Conference Finals under his watch.
| Season | Regular-season record | Playoff result | Notable context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 57-25 | Lost in West Semifinals | First year; franchise-record wins |
| 2014-15 | 56-26 | Lost in West Semifinals | Blew a 3-1 lead to Houston |
| 2015-16 | 53-29 | Lost in First Round | Injury-hit roster, lost to Portland |
| 2016-17 | 51-31 | Lost in First Round | Chris Paul and Blake Griffin injuries |
| 2017-18 | 42-40 | Missed playoffs | Transition year after major roster changes |
| 2018-19 | 48-34 | Lost in First Round | Upset by Golden State |
| 2019-20 | 49-23 | Lost in West Semifinals | 3-1 lead blown to Denver; Rivers fired |
How it began
Rivers arrived in Los Angeles in 2013 after Boston traded him to the Clippers for a future first-round pick, and he was immediately handed a win-now roster centered on Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. The opening stretch was a success: L.A. won 57 games in 2013-14 and looked like a legitimate contender, which validated the hire and raised expectations almost instantly.
"Rivers was now tasked to take over a Clippers team headlined by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan."
Peak regular seasons
The strongest argument for the Rivers tenure is that the Clippers were consistently excellent in the regular season. From 2013-14 through 2016-17, the team posted four straight 50-plus-win seasons, including 57, 56, 53, and 51 wins, and Rivers developed a reputation as a stabilizing coach for a volatile franchise.
- 2013-14: 57-25, franchise-record wins and a West semifinal exit.
- 2014-15: 56-26, followed by the infamous collapse against Houston.
- 2015-16: 53-29, but the roster could not survive the postseason grind.
- 2016-17: 51-31, another strong seed and another short playoff run.
Playoff collapses
The defining criticism of Doc Rivers in Los Angeles is that the Clippers repeatedly underachieved in the playoffs relative to their talent. The 2015 Western Conference Semifinals loss to Houston after leading 3-1 became the signature failure, and the 2020 collapse against Denver revived every old concern because the Clippers again lost a 3-1 series lead.
That pattern mattered because the Clippers' roster, especially during the Lob City years, was built to win deep in May and June, not merely dominate the regular season. Instead, Rivers' teams often hit a ceiling in the second round or earlier, and the franchise's failure to reach the Western Conference Finals under him became the central verdict on the era.
Roster changes and decline
After the peak seasons, the roster changed quickly and the team lost its earlier continuity. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan were no longer together, injuries mounted, and the Clippers entered a transition period that included a 42-40 season in 2017-18 and a missed postseason entirely.
The 2018-19 season briefly restored competitiveness with 48 wins, but the Clippers still fell in the first round, this time to Golden State. By 2019-20, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the team, the expectation level was championship-or-bust, which made the 3-1 collapse to Denver even more damaging to Rivers' standing.
Why he was fired
Rivers was dismissed after the 2020 bubble loss because the organization saw the season as a missed championship opportunity and the final proof that his teams could not close elite playoff series. His seven-year Clippers run ended with the team still stuck short of the conference finals, even though the regular-season record and win totals were highly respectable.
The decision also reflected the difference between being a good coach and being the right coach for a team trying to convert title talent into title results. Rivers' Clippers were often competent, sometimes excellent, and occasionally historic in the regular season, but the postseason story was the reason the era is still debated as either an epic rise or an epic fail.
Timeline at a glance
- June 2013: Boston trades Rivers to the Clippers.
- 2013-14: 57 wins and a franchise-record regular season.
- 2014-15: 56 wins, but a 3-1 collapse to Houston.
- 2015-16: 53 wins, first-round exit to Portland.
- 2016-17: 51 wins, another first-round loss.
- 2017-18: 42 wins, missed playoffs.
- 2018-19: 48 wins, first-round loss to Golden State.
- 2019-20: 49 wins, 3-1 collapse to Denver, then firing.
What the numbers say
The numbers show a coach who kept the Clippers relevant for seven seasons, with a cumulative regular-season record of 356-208, but also a postseason record that never matched the team's talent level. ESPN's season-by-season record shows the steady regular-season success, while other coaching summaries place the Clippers run from 2014-2020 and confirm the final tally of wins and losses.
Viewed strictly through results, Rivers improved the franchise's baseline and gave it its most stable era in years. Viewed through championship expectations, the lack of a conference-finals appearance makes the tenure feel unfinished and, for many fans, deeply frustrating.
Expert answers to Doc Rivers Clippers Timeline Epic Rise Or Epic Fail queries
Was Doc Rivers successful with the Clippers?
Yes in the regular season, because the Clippers became a perennial playoff team and won 50 or more games in multiple seasons under him. No in the postseason, because they never reached the Western Conference Finals and suffered two especially painful 3-1 series losses.
Why did Doc Rivers leave the Clippers?
He left after the 2020 bubble season because the Clippers fired him following another playoff collapse, viewing the loss to Denver as a failure to meet championship expectations. The team's decision reflected both the high bar of the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George roster and Rivers' repeated inability to finish deep playoff runs.
What was Doc Rivers' best Clippers season?
The 2013-14 season was his strongest all-around campaign in Los Angeles because the Clippers won a franchise-record 57 games and immediately looked like a contender. That season set the tone for the era, even though it did not end in a deep playoff run.