Coach Doc Rivers says he'll take blame after LA Clippers eliminated from playoffs

(1:55)Not long after the LA Clippers' season came crashing down in stunning fashion, coach Doc Rivers said the finger can be pointed at him for the team's failure to meet its enormous championship expectations.After the Clippers completely unraveled for a third straight game in a 104-89 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Rivers said the title expectations were not too heavy for his team, even though the Clippers fell short of reaching what many thought all season would be a West finals showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers."We didn't meet them," Rivers said of the expectations. They lost double-digit leads of 16, 19 and 12 points in the past three games, respectively, as the franchise's Western Conference finals drought reached 50 years.Rivers is the only coach in NBA history to lose a 3-1 lead in three playoff series, having done so with the Clippers in the 2015 West semis against the Houston Rockets and with the Orlando Magic in the first round against the Detroit Pistons in 2003.Clippers coach Doc Rivers has the worst winning percentage in clinching opportunities in postseason history, among coaches with at least 20 games in such scenarios, according to ESPN Stats & Information.This team, though, was considered a championship contender from the moment the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard in free agency and traded for Paul George."We're pissed off," said Lou Williams, who struggled and shot 4-for-27 from beyond the arc in the series. In this series, it failed us."Leonard, a two-time NBA Finals MVP who led the Toronto Raptors to a championship last season before signing with LA in free agency, said the Clippers have to improve their basketball IQ and develop chemistry, like championship teams do, following their collapse."We just couldn't make no shots," said Leonard, who shot 1-for-11 in the second half.