Doc Rivers nails it, yet again
Despite winning the 2007-2008 NBA Championship, there are certain many? individuals, who are highly active in the on-line hoops community, that consistently attempt to put down the effectiveness of Doc Rivers’ coaching.
In reality, however …
What Doc keeps doing, repeatedly, is simply knocking ‘em outside the yard … with coaching expertise like this:
Example 1, via specific play design
Example 2, via specific verbal communication with his players
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They were words spoken when a team loses a game it should have won, and after blowing an 11-point halftime lead to the Magic yesterday at home, someone in the Celtics’ locker room said them.
“We’re better than Orlando.’’
Coach Doc Rivers wouldn’t let anyone in the room believe that.
Not after Orlando had outscored the Celtics, 36-11, in the third quarter, not after Boston had let Matt Barnes, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, and Mickael Pietrus combine for 10 3-pointers, not after the Celtics lost the season series to Orlando.
“No, you’re not,’’ Rivers said. “That’s a bunch of [expletive].’’
The Magic were better than the Celtics in the third quarter (when they shot 12 of 17 and held the Celtics to 4 for 14) the same way they were last month when they outscored the Celtics, 35-22, in the fourth quarter and put them to bed on a last-second layup by Lewis.
“They beat you three games,’’ Rivers said. “Two at your place. They’re better.’’
They’ve been better all season, taking the series, three games to one, the head-to-head tiebreaker, and sole possession of second place in the East by a game just like that. They were better when they bounced the Celtics from the playoffs in the second round last year, cutting short their attempt at a championship repeat.
“They knocked you out of the playoffs last year,’’ Rivers said. “Orlando’s better than us right now.’’
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When a coach communicates with his/her players in this type of, “no B.S. allowed,” way … what you eventually end up with are top of the line comments like these:
Player Comment I
“We have no right,’’ said Rajon Rondo, who flirted with a triple double with 17 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. “We’re clearly not playing well right now. We can’t keep making excuses about injuries or other excuses. We’re just not getting the job done.’’
Player Comment II
Said Ray Allen, who scored 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting, “Right now we can’t say that we’re better than Orlando. We can’t say that we’re better than Atlanta. We can’t say that we’re better than the Lakers. They beat us. It’s all about what’s in the pudding, and right now, we don’t have the proof.’’
coming from the authentically good-to-great players on that team.
[PLEASE NOTE: One thing regular readers of this space should know by now is that anytime a player or a coach actually makes reference to something about "pudding" and "proof", being in the actual eating, then, it stands in good stead with yours truly. :-) ]
Whose who still doubt that Doc Rivers is, in fact, one of the best coaches in the NBA today, simply need to read and understand thoroughly this final quotation:
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Rivers said with so much basketball left to play, things still could come around.
“I don’t know at [what] point. I just know at this point those teams are better than us, and that’s up to us, what we want to do with that. I’m not panicked or anything like that, I’m just telling you the truth. I don’t want to hear that you’re better than somebody, because you’re not right now. You have a chance to be, but right now you’re not and we’ve got work to do. So we’re going to do it.”
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That, right there ↑ … is the sort of highly specific instructive language which is used by a truly Top Notch coach, anywhere in this world, regardless of the sport s/he happens to coach.
Tags: Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen