The players won this game.
The players and the refs almost gave this game away at the end.
And Doc Rivers had what was probably his best game of coaching since coming to the Celtics.
But I'm sure hell get no credit for that on this website.
Amazing how Big Baby could make Doc look so stupid in Game 4, and so smart in Game 5
It was probably a smart move both times or an idiotic move both times.
So Doc either lucked out tonight or Big Baby just didn't perform on Monday.
Or maybe a little bit of both.
But Doc has gone to him both times in the fourth because he recognized that Leon was giving him absolutely nothing in the first half of both games.
Doc is criticized for not making in game adjustments, but when he does and it doesn't work out he's an idiot. When he does and it does work out, then he got lucky or it was so simplistic anyone could have done it. Or say say the Doc naysayers.
Doc did a ton right tonight:
- Doc's going with Rondo for the whole 24 in the second half
- Doc seeing that Posey was getting torched by LeBron in the first half and instantly going back in with Pierce
- His insistance for ball movement that finally came about
- Doc's insertion of Baby for what I believe was a beat the hell out of the guys underneath move and recognizing Leon was getting killed
- His defensive call late in the game that caused the 5 second violation on Delonte
- His extremely judicious use of a bench that didn't give him anything until the fourth
- The constant calls for the high pick and rolls that freed Rondo to do his magic.
- The excellent spacing adjustment from the first half that opened up the lanes for Rondo and the success
of the high pick and roll.
- Good use of timeouts that calmed the team when things looked like they might be starting to unravel.
- Lastly, finally recognizing that he rested the starters all year so that they could give him 40 a night in the playoffs and finally using his starters 40 minutes.
All that said, the play of Rondo on both ends, KG's hot hand and complete control of the defensive boards, the Captain's superb defense on LeBron and renewed offensive presence, Ray contributions that went nearly unnoticed because he didn't score a lot, Big Baby, Perkins defense down low, and Posey's defense in the second half are the reason's the Celtics won this game.
They took their collective heads out of their asses and started playing the type of basketball(well, except for that Posey back pass and Ray Allen TO in the fourth) that brought them to where they are.
