This was a classy move by Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers.
There were 9.4 seconds remaining in a game that was all but over — the Clippers led and won 121-112 — and Doc Rivers called a timeout. While players looked confused, Rivers walked over to the scorer’s table, picked up a microphone, and implored the Staples Center crowd to give Dirk Nowitzki one final standing ovation.
👏 @DocRivers calls timeout so the crowd can show @swish41 love! #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/VYK5bC3o6P
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2019
Well done by Rivers.
By the way, this was a big win for Los Angeles, which is now in sole possession of seventh place in the West. On a night where the Lakers/Kings/Spurs all lost, the Clippers making the playoffs looks more and more real. Fivethirtyeight.com has the Clippers with a 75 percent chance of making the postseason.
Which is incredible for a team that two trade deadlines in a row has sent away its best player (Blake Griffin last year, Tobias Harris this year). The Clippers have been a model of how to rebuild on the fly, and this summer if they land a max free agent or two (hello Kawhi Leonard) they will have had a retool for the ages.
