It was during his stint with the Los Angeles Clippers that Blake Griffin rose as one of the best power forwards in the game. With Doc Rivers at the helm, Lob City was born with Griffin at the center of highlight reels.
While his tenure didn't exactly yield a title, Griffin has tons of respect for Rivers, most especially his power to motivate his players.
In an AMA hosted by Bleacher Report, Griffin answered all sorts of questions from fans. One particular fan asked how Rivers was like as a coach and the former Clippers star answered:
“Doc is one of the best motivators of all time. There's times where he would do a great pregame speech. One particular time in Cleveland – when LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin Love were there. He focused on the only time you'll be back here is if you make the Finals, and the whole thing was motivational. It's one thing he does better than anybody – his ability to speak and motivate guys.”
Blake Griffin spent seven and a half seasons with the Clippers. In that span, the team made it to the playoffs six times. They only made it as far as the second round, a mark that has been the subject of various criticisms. But despite this, one cannot discount the impact they had on the league.
As Griffin noted, Doc Rivers is still one heck of a coach. Yes, he's been struggling in the playoffs for the last several years, which was why his time with the Clippers came at an abrupt end last year. However, the fact of the matter is that he knows what to tell his players at any point in the game–which is the main reason for his relative success.
For now though, Griffin will have more battles with Doc as they are both in the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets, Blake's new team, have one more game against Rivers' Philadelphia 76ers in the regular season.
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