It’s a common notion in probably all of sports that winning a championship always requires just a sprinkle of luck. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers recently talked with Grantland’s Zach Lowe about his team possibly being blown up if they don’t reach their title aspirations this season. He also alluded to what it takes to come out of the West:
“You need luck in the West,” he says. “Look at Golden State. They didn’t have to play us or the Spurs. But that’s also a lesson for us: When you have a chance to close, you have to do it.”
Avoiding the Spurs and Clippers was fortunate for Golden State in their trek to the NBA Finals, even if they would have been favored against both. Another layer of their fortune was sustaining good health throughout the season. Regardless of his comment, Rivers made sure to clarify his thoughts, via VL Sports:
No, I don’t think the Warriors were lucky to win. I think they deserved to win. I wish we could have played them – or the Spurs – but they still were the best team. They earned it.
Rivers is preserving his basketball karma. At this point there’s no use or time for harping on the misfortunes of last season, and he’s not going to act like the Warriors weren’t flat out the best team or didn’t deserve to win a championship.
