Liquid courage oozed from Austin Rivers' face after a series he would rather forget ended in a night he'll always remember.
There was the blood that seeped from cuts above and below his left eye, the result of an inadvertent elbow that smacked him midway through the first quarter.
There was the sweat that streaked down his forehead, the Clippers guard having played almost the entire second half Friday night at the Moda Center and triggering a gutsy comeback.
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There were the tears he couldn't hold back, the jolt of what might have been his finest NBA hour overridden by a premature end to his team's season.