Doc Rivers

[angryguy77]

I still cant figure out why Doc doesnt play Leon Powe...He played so well in his 6th/7th man role and he was the great energy and spark off the bench. He could run the floor and he is a hustler. This team is lacking intensity and those hustle plays and mostly rebounds. Powe gave us all of this, does Doc think he is just going to stop playing the way he did? Just doesnt make sense at all.

its simple because doc doesn't know what he is doing with his team.

I wonder how we would be playing if we had jackson, riley, pop, or nelson as a coach.

[wdleehi]

When has House or Powe shown the ability to bring the defense alive?



There was a lack of energy.  A lack of want.





The only question I would have for Doc is why did you let the players get so relaxed coming into this game.  (CSN post game talked about the easy day they had before) 

[guava_wrench]

Ray Allen haven't done anything during the playoffs why haven't doc played eddie house?

Have you been watching the games? Hamilton owns House. When House dribbles, Hamilton pokes and House can't take his eyes off the ball. House also has no chance of defending Rip.

House is only effective against Det when Lindsay Hunter is inactive. Hunter did not play in the 2nd and 3rd regular season games, but makes it impossible to play House, as we say in game one and in the first regular season game.

[Roy Hobbs]

The only question I would have for Doc is why did you let the players get so relaxed coming into this game.  (CSN post game talked about the easy day they had before) 

That one is a tough call.  Doc decided not to hold a full practice because he thought the team needed the rest; he just conducted a walk through.  I can understand his decision, although in hindsight, a practice might have kept the team a little sharper.

[wdleehi]

The only question I would have for Doc is why did you let the players get so relaxed coming into this game.  (CSN post game talked about the easy day they had before) 

That one is a tough call.  Doc decided not to hold a full practice because he thought the team needed the rest; he just conducted a walk through.  I can understand his decision, although in hindsight, a practice might have kept the team a little sharper.

From what I heard on CSN, not even a walk through.  Just a video review and the rest of the day off. 


They talked about Celtics players just hanging out in the park smoking cigars. 



Now I don't like to put a lot into this, but the only road game they have won is the one they were focused on because of a loss.  I would have though you might have tried to keep that focus.




Doc is really reminding me of Flip Saunders in the playoffs.  Extremely talented team that takes multiple games off in the playoffs. 

[vinnie]

But why should Doc change anything from the regular season?  Remember all of the days off so he could go see his daughter's game or his son's game or attend to other family matters.  Doc is 100 percent a players' coach.  He wants to be one of the guys.

[soap07]

Doc is really reminding me of Flip Saunders in the playoffs.  Extremely talented team that takes multiple games off in the playoffs.


Really? The Flip Saunders-led Pistons have been known for complacency and then when becoming complacent, not being able to turn the switch back on. This particular Celtic team has played hard in every loss in the postseason; they have just had trouble executing. Complacency is not the problem for Boston.

[wdleehi]

Doc is really reminding me of Flip Saunders in the playoffs.  Extremely talented team that takes multiple games off in the playoffs.


Really? The Flip Saunders-led Pistons have been known for complacency and then when becoming complacent, not being able to turn the switch back on. This particular Celtic team has played hard in every loss in the postseason; they have just had trouble executing. Complacency is not the problem for Boston.

So far, the Celtics have taken 3 games off in Atlanta, 2 in Cleveland and 1 in Detroit


Detroit took 1 (maybe 2) games off against Philly.  Listen to them, they took off 1 against Boston.

[WedmanIsMyHero]

Powe may have defensive issues, according to Doc, but he DEFINITELY brings energy.

When has House or Powe shown the ability to bring the defense alive?



There was a lack of energy.  A lack of want.





The only question I would have for Doc is why did you let the players get so relaxed coming into this game.  (CSN post game talked about the easy day they had before) 

[guava_wrench]

When has House or Powe shown the ability to bring the defense alive?

There was a lack of energy.  A lack of want.

The only question I would have for Doc is why did you let the players get so relaxed coming into this game.  (CSN post game talked about the easy day they had before) 

I didn't see the lack of energy. I saw poor execution. I saw bad passes and I saw the Pistons playing very physical, and that is a strategy move. Some of their key players almost fouled out due to that, but it worked for them.

I don't see how having Hunter steal the ball from House would help anything. The Powe-Big Baby argument is a wash. Going with either one is fine.

The truth is, anytime we lose, certain people are going to complain about the things that we also did when we won. There's no silver bullet that will make every game a Celtics blowout. Our best lineups can still lose.

[TheShowPowe]

Everyone seems to forget how often Powe takes players out of their game. Can no one remember all the times he has taken huge charges or drawn offensive fouls on players. He absolutely destroyed David West on the defensive end getting in his head and shutting him down the last time they played. Jason Maxiell is a similar player to West. There physical guys with a nice jump shot. Leon is great at getting in guys faces and taking charges when they try to take him to the hole. His one minor issue is an occasional slip up on team defense. And it is occasional. Doc just throws Leon under the bus. They need Leon for his one on one defense and offensive presence. PJ has nice moments but physically can't get the job done against the younger pistons. Doc needs to stop hating on Leon and put him in. Like give him real time not just 2 mins. 

[soap07]

So far, the Celtics have taken 3 games off in Atlanta, 2 in Cleveland and 1 in Detroit


I see. Every time the Celtics lose, they must take the night off.

[nickagneta]

We can all question all the reasons why this guy should have been playing and why that guy shouldn't have, but does anyone here really believe that with the way the starters played tonight that Eddie House, Leon Powe, or Tony Allen was going to be the difference in turning this game into a win?

I seriously doubt that. There have been bad games this postseason for Doc but there have been at least two and maybe three, yeah three, playoff losses that are directly attributable to the players and the players alone.

This was one of them!

As for the day off thing, that's tough to question. We don't no just how tired or beat up these guys are after having played 14 games in 28 days. Doc does. I'll leave it to Doc to gauge when to push these guys and when not to. If they lose the series Doc screwed up. If they win, he probably didn't. At least in regards to what happens on the off days.

[expobear]

We can all question all the reasons why this guy should have been playing and why that guy shouldn't have, but does anyone here really believe that with the way the starters played tonight that Eddie House, Leon Powe, or Tony Allen was going to be the difference in turning this game into a win?

I seriously doubt that. There have been bad games this postseason for Doc but there have been at least two and maybe three, yeah three, playoff losses that are directly attributable to the players and the players alone.

This was one of them!

As for the day off thing, that's tough to question. We don't no just how tired or beat up these guys are after having played 14 games in 28 days. Doc does. I'll leave it to Doc to gauge when to push these guys and when not to. If they lose the series Doc screwed up. If they win, he probably didn't. At least in regards to what happens on the off days.

Found this on another chatroom and it wholeheartedly articulates my sentiments:


Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy) has been complaining since the playoffs began that Doc Rivers has been inexplicably ignoring the rotations and bench guys that had made the Celtics so good in the first place, instead trying out untested combinations apparently in response to the other team's personnel. (By the way, you should never do this -- change your style to fit the opponent -- if you are the favored team. It gives the underdog a mental edge right from the start, as they know the favorite is scared of them; this is how the Mavs got ousted by the Warriors last year.)

Looks like the lack of Leon is a perfect example of this. Don't turn away from the guys who got you this far just because they make a mistake here or there; ride them all the way to the finish. Also, pointing out publicly that Leon had missed defensive assignments is a bush-league move. A good coach doesn't call out his players in public.

Rivers is an idiot; he's been given the best team in the Eastern Conference by a country mile and has nearly blown it twice. I doubt the Pistons will be so forgiving, so this should be interesting.

[TheShowPowe]

We can all question all the reasons why this guy should have been playing and why that guy shouldn't have, but does anyone here really believe that with the way the starters played tonight that Eddie House, Leon Powe, or Tony Allen was going to be the difference in turning this game into a win?

I seriously doubt that. There have been bad games this postseason for Doc but there have been at least two and maybe three, yeah three, playoff losses that are directly attributable to the players and the players alone.

This was one of them!

As for the day off thing, that's tough to question. We don't no just how tired or beat up these guys are after having played 14 games in 28 days. Doc does. I'll leave it to Doc to gauge when to push these guys and when not to. If they lose the series Doc screwed up. If they win, he probably didn't. At least in regards to what happens on the off days.

Found this on another chatroom and it wholeheartedly articulates my sentiments:


Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy) has been complaining since the playoffs began that Doc Rivers has been inexplicably ignoring the rotations and bench guys that had made the Celtics so good in the first place, instead trying out untested combinations apparently in response to the other team's personnel. (By the way, you should never do this -- change your style to fit the opponent -- if you are the favored team. It gives the underdog a mental edge right from the start, as they know the favorite is scared of them; this is how the Mavs got ousted by the Warriors last year.)

Looks like the lack of Leon is a perfect example of this. Don't turn away from the guys who got you this far just because they make a mistake here or there; ride them all the way to the finish. Also, pointing out publicly that Leon had missed defensive assignments is a bush-league move. A good coach doesn't call out his players in public.

Rivers is an idiot; he's been given the best team in the Eastern Conference by a country mile and has nearly blown it twice. I doubt the Pistons will be so forgiving, so this should be interesting.

I agree expobear. TP for you. Leon's mistakes are small compared to so many others. Davis gave up wide open lay ups 4 times tonight. But we know Davis will get to stay in. Leon has been a stud all season. He always proves everyone wrong. His confidence is being killed by his own coach, but hopefully he will get to prove himself again before this season is over.