I like Doc Rivers, at the very least for the same reason Bob Ryan likes him--he's a good guy. I don't know if he's a good coach, but 66 wins makes it seem like he might be.
Over the last two games, several things have run through my mind.
1. The 2005 Boston Celtics were a tale of two teams, the young team and the old team. When playing well, the young team was better, which is one reason the Cs proceeded to clean house after the season ended.
2. A lot of folks blamed Doc for losing to the Pacers in the 2005 NBA playoffs, after his team proved it could dominate Indiana in at least two games. I’ve gone back and forth on this issue, first blaming doc, then defending him, and now wondering.
3. The 2008 Boston Celtics are quickly becoming a tale of two teams. Not home and away, though that is an interesting storyline in and of itself. Instead, I’m talking about the first unit and the second unit. Having bragged about the depth of this team all year, the last two games have opened my eyes to the fact that Leon Powe and Glen Davis are probably average players and play to their level of talent much of the time. I look at the Celtics with them on the floor and ask: Wow, is that really all we have? The same could be said for PJ Brown.
4. In the first game of the series, the Celtics were plus 29 with Garnett on the floor and -8 without him. The Cs won the game by 21. I don’t know what the plus or minus stats are since game 1, but the impression I get is exactly that. The bench is 30 points worse than the starters. This doesn’t sound like a good bench to me.
5. Back to 2005. The so-called two Celtics teams aren’t really what did us in so much as it was the veterans who imploded. At first I blamed Doc for letting his happen. Then I blamed the players for losing control. Now the 2008 Celtics are distracted and “acting out” again. The team lacks the cohesion it once did, especially on defense. It’s hard for me to rule out that Doc doesn’t bear some responsibility here. Lightening rarely strikes the same place twice.
6. Below I provide some quotes that disturb me. Doc saying “we’re fine” in a series tied with a team nearly everyone had us beating 4-0 or 4-1. Ray Allen saying the Celtics can’t be “too arrogant." Well that’s a relief. I know arrogance was a risk for me as a fan after the last two games. Paul Pierce talking about a sense of urgency. Um, I think that was supposed to be how you played the last two games. Talk by one columnist about getting back to business, and another columnist of the greatest collapse in Boston history, and talk by yet another columnist about a no-lay-up policy. All of this is fine and well, but we heard talk of getting down to business and D’ing up before game 4. The home crowd will help tonight, but Celtics fans and Hawks fans both know that at any given time Atlanta can make a run and Boston can fall apart.
7. This team doesn’t appear to be the same team we rooted for all year. But I’m trying to hang in there with them.
"We're fine, we just have to play better." Doc Rivers said.
"We can't be too arrogant to think a team is just going to lay down for you," said Ray Allen. "We're in a good situation now. This is what we've always dreamed about growing up.
I saw a lot of positive things despite the fact that we lost," added Paul Pierce. "I expect us to play with a higher sense of urgency."
Enough. The Hawks had their fun. It's time for the Celtics to get back to business and reassert themselves in this series. It's time for the Celtics to take back the night and dominate this team of 37 wins and two scoring threats. It's time for the Celtics to stop the nonsense and play like the team that won 66 games, the team that can make it to the NBA Finals.--columnist
If they do not win two of their next three games, all of the above will be forgotten and the 2007-08 Celtics will be remembered for only one thing: The worst collapse in Boston sports history. .--columnist
Isn’t it kind of playoff tradition that a player who drives into the paint occasionally ends up on the floor? Garnett hit referee Eddie F. Rush harder than he or any Celtic hit Johnson on Monday night. .--columnist
Champs or chumps: Do we have a legitimate championship threat here or just a collection of front-runners? .--columnist
Topic: A Tale of Two Teams (Read 2718 times)