Doc Rivers/AP photo by Danny Moloshok

By and large, the Clippers are not expected to be in the Western Conference finals. What most are saying is that it will be Golden State and San Antonio. Coach Doc Rivers knows that, but he doesn’t mind one bit. He doesn’t believe his players are concerned with that, either.

“I haven’t heard a lot of guys talking about that,” he said at Saturday’s morning shootaround ahead of Game 3 of the first-round series between the Clippers and Portland at Moda Center; the Clippers lead 2-0. “We just believe we’re a good team. And we just have to prove it by our wins and our play. But Golden State deserves everything they’re getting. They won 73 games. If you don’t talk about them, you’;re being silly.

“They get it all, and, to me, the two teams that everyone should be talking about are the two teams we’re talking about – them and San Antonio. I mean, I hear it every day – that Western Conference finals series is set up already. But I think there is nothing wrong with people making that assumption. We just don’t agree with it. And there is nothing wrong with that either.”