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The Los Angeles Clippers routed the Houston Rockets in convincing fashion in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals last night, 124-99.
Their offense was clicking on all cylinders, thanks to an aggressive, fast-break pace that helped open up the floor for Blake Griffin to fly around like a superhero again, and for a still visibly injured Chris Paul to find his teammates for quick, open looks throughout the game. Griffin was his usual outstanding self with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists, with Paul chipping in 12 points of his own.
Much has been said of the Clippers depth throughout the season, especially when head coach and general manager Doc Rivers made the questionable decision to make a mid-season trade for his son, Austin Rivers. Many were cynical about this move, as Rivers had not really shown he could be a legitimate NBA player yet, putting up average numbers during his first two and a half years with the New Orleans Pelicans after being a first-round lottery draft pick in 2012.
Ever since he was traded to the Clippers, Rivers became the butt of many jokes, with many NBA fans claiming the only reason he was still even in the league was because of his dad. Even his teammates had fun at his expense, highlighted during a practice session before one game in the regular season when Griffin did his own hilarious impression of Rivers’ impatience in setting up the offense, capped off with an exaggerated awful shot that sailed over the basket.
However, after last night, there will undoubtedly be many that now say that Rivers has finally arrived in the league. In addition to JJ Redick’s stellar 31-point performance, Rivers was arguably one of the biggest reasons why the Clippers coasted to victory in Game 3, as he recorded 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal on 10-13 shooting from the field. At the young age of 22, Rivers is still learning the NBA game and how to be a consistent role player on a team with championship aspirations, with his dad as his coach to boot. This is a lot to ask of him, but so far he has handled it pretty well.
He was very impressive last night and the confidence and edge he played with not only helped boost his confidence, but that of his teammates as well, who were going absolutely bonkers on the bench during his third-quarter explosion.
However, in my opinion, Rivers still has a lot of work to do. He has been terrific during this second round series against the Rockets, but he still needs to demonstrate that he can be a dependable player every night. His confidence is sometimes his own worst enemy, pushing him to take wild, contested shots that do not have a prayer of going in. As a combo guard, he must develop an outside shot, because shooting 30 percent from the perimeter during the regular season is not going to cut it for long. He also needs to bulk up during this coming offseason so he can be ready to grind against some of the best guards in the league.
He played great last night, but this game could be nothing more than an outlier for him unless he builds on it right now. The Clippers will now be counting on him to be one of the go-to guys off their very thin bench. Luckily for him, he has the perfect coach to help teach him all of this in his dad, along with the ideal point guard to learn from watching in Paul.
Rivers has all the tools at his disposal to make these playoffs the defining moment in his young career, and it will be fascinating to see how he responds after having the biggest game of his life last night.
Dan Schultz is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.
