Notebook: Doc Rivers Loses It + Kilpatrick’s Career Night

Doc Rivers Loses His S–t

With 18.6 seconds left in the first overtime and the Clippers trailing 117-115, coach Doc Rivers walked past midcourt – almost to the Nets’ bench – to argue a foul called by referee Lauren Holtkamp. He was immediately called for a technical, followed by another one and subsequent ejection from referee Ken Mauer who thought that Rivers was arguing the call with Holtkamp.

The second technical set Rivers off and he had to be restrained by three people.

“Honestly, I think you guys know why the tech was called,” Rivers said post-game. “The official who had nothing to do with the play thought I was yelling at Lauren, and I wasn’t. Actually, she said, ‘Doc, you’re right,’ or whatever, ‘Let’s walk back.’ We were walking. We weren’t even arguing. So it was the damnedest tech to give at that time.

“What the league is going to do, they’re going to fall back on, ‘He crossed half court.’ You’ll see tomorrow, that’s what they’re going to say. And we’re going to all know that’s not the real reason. I don’t think an official that has nothing to do with the play should be giving someone a tech. That’s my thing. That’s why I got upset. He didn’t even know what we were talking about. It wasn’t even an argument. But listen, that had nothing to do with the game, and that’s not why we lost the game.”

DeAndre Jordan Speaks Frankly

Clippers’ center DeAndre Jordan says the team has gotten way ahead of themselves lately (something Rivers also alluded to in his post-game recap). Jordan believes the Clippers’ early season success went to their heads.

“I think we are smelling ourselves a little bit,” said Jordan. “We haven’t done s—. Nothing. We were No. 1 in the West for a couple of weeks? That don’t mean nothing. At all.

“I feel like we took that for granted. We thought we were a lot better than we really are. We got to continue to get better and have respect for the game.”

Sean Kilpatrick’s Career Night

Almost lost in all the Doc Rivers/Clippers hubbub was the Nets’ Sean Kilpatrick having a career-night to help his team to the win. Kilpatrick put up 34 shots (!), connecting on 14 of them, including 4/12 from three-point range, while also pulling down 14 boards.

“I ended getting into a zone,’’ Kilpatrick said. “At that point there was no turning back for me.”

Understatement of the season so far.