Doc Rivers 'surprised how sensitive' Warriors are about 'luck' comments

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc River doesn't understand why the Golden State Warriors got so bent out of shape after comments he made about needing "luck" to capture the NBA championship.

"I’m surprised how sensitive they are about it," Rivers said Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch. "They are the champions, so they should just be the champions."

Rivers initially suggested the Warriors had an easier path to the finals by not needing to go through his Clippers or the San Antonio Spurs, in an appearance on Zach Lowe's Grantland podcast.

Several Warriors players took serious offense to Rivers implying that the franchise's first title win in 40 years was somehow tainted because of who they defeated along the way.

"I wanted to play the Clippers last year, but they couldn't handle their business," Klay Thompson said, per ESPN's Ethan Strauss.

A potential Warriors-Clippers Western Conference Finals matchup never came to fruition after Los Angeles - who had a 3-1 series lead - fell in seven games in the second round to the Houston Rockets.

Part of the reason why the Warriors were so agitated about Rivers' remarks is they weren't correctly communicated. That's how Rivers sees things, anyway.

"I'm going to give Klay and his whole team the benefit of the doubt on that," Rivers said Saturday, per ESPN.com. "What I said is true - not the way it was said to them. I never said the Warriors were lucky. That's unrepresentative of what I said. I said you have to be lucky to win. It's a completely different way."

The Pacific Division rivals will meet for the first time during the 2015-16 regular season on Nov. 4 at Oracle Arena.