Doc Rivers adds another playoff collapse to his resume

The Milwaukee Bucks led the Indiana Pacers, 118-111, with under 30 seconds to go in overtime before a three-pointer, a three-point play, two turnovers and a Tyrese Haliburton layup gave Indiana an improbable 119-118 victory.

Play-by-play data only goes back to the 1996-97 season, so it's unclear that this is the latest a team has ever blown a seven-point lead. But we know that the only other team since 1996-97 to blow a seven-point lead in the final minutes was the 2014 Los Angeles Clippers, who were also coached by Rivers.

Rivers is seventh on the all-time list of wins for NBA coaches, but he's known just as much for a history of excruciating playoff losses. He's the only coach to have blown a 3-1 series lead three separate times, with the Orlando Magic in 2003 and the Clippers in 2015 and 2020.

In 2015, the Clippers had a 19-point lead late in the third quarter of Game 6 and went on to lose, 119-107. In 2020, the Denver Nuggets overcame double-digit second-half deficits in each of the last three games to eliminate the Clippers.

Failure to close out games or series has been a continuing theme since Rivers and the Celtics won the title in 2008. Rivers and the Celtics lost after taking 3-2 series leads against the Orlando Magic in 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010 and the Miami Heat in 2012. Rivers and the Clippers blew two 3-1 leads and a 2-0 lead. Rivers and the 76ers blew a 3-2 lead against the Celtics in 2023 and a 2-1 lead over the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.

It's not clear if Rivers panics in clutch situations, or if his players do. But it's becoming a legacy of historic collapses. Despite almost exclusively coaching superstar-led teams since 2012, Rivers has failed to make the conference finals.

Will he get another chance after this most recent stunning playoff ending? Don't bet against it. Rivers gets an NBA job more easily than opposing teams get points in crucial playoff moments against him.