Doc calls Austin 'street fighter' following bloody loss

Austin Rivers has been a bit of a punching bag for fans throughout his career, and his face resembled that of a prize fighter following a four-quarter bout with the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

The Los Angeles Clippers guard logged 31 minutes despite needing 11 stitches to repair a gash over his left eye suffered from an inadvertent elbow during a 106-103 loss in Game 6 that eliminated his team from the playoffs.

"That's what he is, a street fighter," Clippers head coach and Austin's father Doc Rivers told reporters following the game.

Despite missing injured starters Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, the Clippers scrapped together an impressive effort in the elimination game before eventually falling short.

"That team had more heart than any team I've ever seen," Doc said.

The Clippers entered the playoffs with the fifth-best odds to win the NBA title, but those projections took a serious hit once both All-Stars were ruled out for the remainder of the year.

"It's been tough," Austin said. "We put so much work in. We really had high hopes.

"We left it all out there."

Despite reaching the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, the Clippers have yet to reach the Western Conference Finals and Friday's loss marked the first time in three seasons they failed to reach the West semifinals under Rivers.

"If you don't win a title, every year you have a speech. And, I don't know if I've ever been in a locker room where they're easy," Doc said. "They're emotional. A lot of tears. From a coaching standpoint, you love that.

"I tell my guys every year, at least teams that I think have a chance, you've got to start the year with the belief ... and you have to be willing to get your heartbroken."