LOS ANGELES — Prior to any playoff game, Doc Rivers usually spends his time thinking about the coverages and sets his opponent will throw his way. Back on April 27, 2014, the Clippers coach was supposed to focus on winning Game 4 to grab a 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors. This was back before the Warriors were the Warriors with their aura of invincibility and had yet to take over the NBA. This Warriors team was still young and relatively inexperienced, while this Clippers team was trying to find ways to get over the hurdle of title contention.



Instead of preparing for the Warriors for the entire day, Rivers spent 45 minutes on the phone in the hour leading up to the game pleading with a representative of then-Clippers owner Donald Sterling.



“The most heated argument you could possibly have,” Rivers remembers of that phone call.



Tapes of Sterling saying racist and offensive things to confidant V Stiviano had been acquired and...