Rivers: 'I've never been more proud of a team that didn't make the playoffs'

Doc Rivers has coached a lot of teams - including the 2008 title-winning Boston Celtics - but few have made him prouder than this year's Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers were eliminated from playoff contention as a result of Saturday's loss to the Denver Nuggets, yet their bench boss was beaming with pride in his postgame presser.

"I've never been more proud of a team that didn't make the playoffs," he told reporters after the 134-115 defeat. "This team has been through so much all year, so many more things that people don't know ... and yet, somehow we kept our heads above water."

Despite starting the season without Chris Paul (who was dealt to the Houston Rockets), trading Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons midseason, and losing four of their five starters to injury for most of the campaign, the team remained competitive and refused to roll over. Although their playoff bid ultimately fell short, Rivers was encouraged by the fight in his players.

"I think I've had one or two losing seasons in my entire coaching career, and this should've been the third one when you think about it. And somehow it isn't," the 2000 Coach of the Year said.

"We are above .500, had a chance to make the playoffs, and at the end of the day, honestly, we played against the teams that have a chance to make it, and they're better. We won a lot of games against teams that have been better than us. I don't think I've been more proud of a group, maybe ever, than I've been of this group. We've asked a lot of guys to do a lot of stuff that they shouldn't have had to do, and yet they've done it."

Rivers is optimistic about the club's future with players who are "easy to coach."

"We have restarted our franchise. I think we're headed in the right direction," he added. "I would've loved to have gotten this group over any group in the playoffs, because I just thought with their effort and the things they've been through, they really deserved it."

At 42-38, Los Angeles will finish the season 10th in the West, marking only the fourth time in Rivers' 18-year career as an NBA head coach that his side didn't qualify for the postseason.