Doc won us this game.

[mjohnson]

Caveman knows the use of a broom...

and so far, Doc had won 3 out of 4 times in this finals series.. how bout adding the regular season game?

anyway, when i say DOC it means the whole coaching department...

beri beri nays 

[GaBerkowitz]

A-Mazing.  Doc was great tonight, motivating the guys, subbing properly and strategically.

Subs:  It was clear Rondo wasn't being Rondo, so he made the change to E$ House.  We all know his deficiencies and the Celts were perfect in countering the Lakers pressure by having Pierce and Allen handle the ball and running the offense through them.

PJ Brown:  In 20 years when you are in a sports memorabilia store and see a PJ Brown poster...it will have Kobe Bryant underneath him getting dunked on to end the 3rd quarter.  Probably my 4th favorite play of the game.

Posey:  I love Posey.  I keep bringing this up but he is a guy who knows his strengths and his weaknesses better than anyone i've seen as a role player.  He knows hes a catch and shoot 3 point shooter, so when he can catch and shoot he does.  He knows he is less affective when he tries to score off the dribble, so he doesn't.  Man this pickup was so huge, major kudos to Danny for that one.

D-Fense:  Doc's call to let Pierce go mano i mano with Kobe was awesome.  the block on the baseline was so huge and while i know the D starts with Garnett, Pierce has really impressed all year in his D.  First on Lebron then Kobe and even Tayshaun who he completely locked down....so happy for the guy

After the game KG's comment about Doc telling them when was what makes him a great fit for this team.  With athletes making so much money i think the toughest part of a coaches job is to gain the trust/respect from players.  When you are Phil jackson with 9 rings it is easy, when you are Doc it isn't.  The fact that everyone bought in to the system is great, however Doc is the right man for the job and I am so happy for him.

Lets close this in 5

[Fan from VT]

Considering that the exact same coach oversaw an 18 game losing streak and a 3-1 lead in the finals within 1 season, maybe we can finally admit that players have the most effect on the outcome of the game?

I think GM's just enjoy the myth of greater coaching importance so that they have a built in scapegoat when the players they acquire don't win. I'm glad Danny stuck with what he saw in Doc.

[jonnybaltimore]

Doc was THE MAN as far as coaches go last nigth not only with his "gut" moves and going small when he neededbut his motovational speeches all during the second half.  All thiswhile Phil Jackson justsa there  .  Yes this is a players league and Doc did not do it on his own last night but he out Bellechicked the zen master and the TEAM perservered!!!

[Edgar]

Doc is having SUPREME results after his Time Outs
And using them properly
I dont have ANYTHING bad but a lot of good things to say about El Pato
Propers to Doc, now he just have to give the final sword hit.

[nickagneta]

Some people just cannot admit that they could be wrong. Backhanded compliments and outright complaints now ring hollow and look... well....nevermind. Figure it out for yourself.

Most people here have given Doc the due he deserves for not only last night but this whole series. I will go beyond that. I'm going to give him props for a whole season.

Yes, a whole season.

People can look back and complain all they want about this or that but when someone does something great 98% of the time and screws up just 2% of the time and all you have to talk about is the 2%, the problem is not with the guy doing the job, the problem is with the guy commenting on the job.

66 wins.
3 going on 4 playoff series wins.
1 win away from the NBA Championship.
The greatest turnaround in league history.
The greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.
One of the best defensive teams statistically in the last 30 years.
The development of Rajon Rondo.
The development of Leon Powe.
The unifying of the lockerroom.
The maintaining of focus.

Most coaches wish at the end of a career that they could accomplish just a couple of these things. Basketball fans know this. Doc did it all in one season.

All have in some way Doc's stamp on them.

And it's time for some people to come forth and admit that apparently Doc can coach afterall.

His coaching is far from perfect but as his proving some people wrong has shown, people aren't perfect.

[cordobes]

I think this is just surreal. After the game hearing Pierce praise Doc, hearing van Gundy praise Doc, hearing Tommy praise Doc. Everyone basically said he was masterful, and going small finally worked. Compare this to the 18 game losing streak where I wanted him fired very badly. Very happy for him and his team tonight.

Reading Hollinger praise Doc:

Entering this series, the one mismatch everyone pointed to wasn't on the court, but on the sidelines -- nine-time champion Phil Jackson against Finals neophyte Doc Rivers.

Well, it's been a mismatch all right. Just not the way we expected.
(...)
All series long it's been Rivers, not Jackson, who has pushed the right buttons and given his team the upper hand. That was never more evident than in Thursday's Game 4. Rivers' in-game adjustments helped the Celtics shake off a three-touchdowns-plus-a-field-goal deficit while Jackson was left fumbling for a response all the way through the final seconds, when the Lakers needed to burn two timeouts to advance the ball with 15.7 seconds left after they'd mistakenly inbounded the ball before using the first.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=Rivers-080613

[MaineBleedsGreen]

Hey folks, let's not go overboard here. The players won the game- just about everyone on the floor was fantastic, at least in the second half.
Everything Doc did worked out, so yes, give him credit. How much was coaching, or just having superior players is hard to say, but last night was awesome.
Great job all around, players and coach.

thanks for reminding me that players win games, coaches just lose them ... it's one of those things that sounds ridiculous, but inevitably keeps getting repeated.


nickagneta: I can't agree more ... and if you look at some of his accomplishments before this season (COY), 18-game losing streak and still able to keep the team together and keep Danny's faith, Doc has clearly built a surprising strong resume.

[Goldstar88]

Without Docs motivation and mentality we do not win the game. Doc does a great job getting the best out of his players. Phil would not have been able to make this comeback.

[Roy Hobbs]

Hey folks, let's not go overboard here. The players won the game- just about everyone on the floor was fantastic, at least in the second half.
Everything Doc did worked out, so yes, give him credit. How much was coaching, or just having superior players is hard to say, but last night was awesome.
Great job all around, players and coach.

thanks for reminding me that players win games, coaches just lose them ... it's one of those things that sounds ridiculous, but inevitably keeps getting repeated.

Well, I'll say that at all times, players win or lose games.  Coaches just determine whether those players are in the best position to succeed. 

Last night, I don't think there's a coach in the NBA who could have coached a better second half.  *Maybe* equal it, but definitely not surpass it.  Doc put his team in the ultimate position to succeed, and if he didn't do that, the players' effort wouldn't have made a difference.  So, Doc didn't win the game -- the players did -- but we don't win the game without Doc.  If that makes any sense at all.

[EJPLAYA]

Without Docs motivation and mentality we do not win the game. Doc does a great job getting the best out of his players. Phil would not have been able to make this comeback.

While I agree that Doc's motivation was crucial to this win, I wouldn't quite question Phil's ability to motivate. He has an awful lot of rings on his hands and if I remember correctly he recently coached a team back from a 20 point deficit down to 2 in the 4th quarter. They just got it together later in the game than we did. The difference was that we were down big at the half where they knew they HAD to come out differently. The game in Boston the lead ballooned in the 3rd quarter  and just spiraled before their run. He also coached them back from a huge deficit in the Utah series.

Give Doc this one, but Phil isn't chopped liver as much as I hate the guy!

[nickagneta]

Hey folks, let's not go overboard here. The players won the game- just about everyone on the floor was fantastic, at least in the second half.
Everything Doc did worked out, so yes, give him credit. How much was coaching, or just having superior players is hard to say, but last night was awesome.
Great job all around, players and coach.

thanks for reminding me that players win games, coaches just lose them ... it's one of those things that sounds ridiculous, but inevitably keeps getting repeated.

Well, I'll say that at all times, players win or lose games.  Coaches just determine whether those players are in the best position to succeed. 

Last night, I don't think there's a coach in the NBA who could have coached a better second half.  *Maybe* equal it, but definitely not surpass it.  Doc put his team in the ultimate position to succeed, and if he didn't do that, the players' effort wouldn't have made a difference.  So, Doc didn't win the game -- the players did -- but we don't win the game without Doc.  If that makes any sense at all.

Perfect sense. Teams win and lose together. The players can't win without the coach and the coach can't lose without the players.

I think what MaineBleedsGreen was trying to say is that yes the players do win games but they also need to be given responsibility when they lose games.

Some on this site just lose track of the fact that Doc is not the only reason when this team doesn't succeed. He is only part of that reason like he is only part of the reason they won last night.

But as you said Roy, no one could have coached a better game than Doc did last night. Maybe equaled it but not bettered it. And Pierce, Ray, KG, James, Eddie and company played their collective hearts out.

If Kobe had half the heart that Pierce does he'd have put that game away last night. But he doesn't and this just goes to prove that he rode Shaq's coattails in those championship years. Shaq's won it without Kobe but the reverse is not true.

[Chris]

I am really starting to wonder if Ainge was onto something last year when he kept saying "Doc is still a young coach who is learning, just like the player".  At the time, I thought it was all just BS, but now I am not sure. 

The way Doc looked genuinely scared to take chances at the beginning of the playoffs, to the supremely confident coach, pulling all of the right strings in the last two series...well, maybe he had the talent all along, but needed time to reach his potential.

[jay_jay54]

Hey folks, let's not go overboard here. The players won the game- just about everyone on the floor was fantastic, at least in the second half.
Everything Doc did worked out, so yes, give him credit. How much was coaching, or just having superior players is hard to say, but last night was awesome.
Great job all around, players and coach.

RH,it makes all the sense in the world,you are right on.Also,Doc figured out,not to leave Sam for example,in to long,if nothing is going in a positive way.He used the bench players time wisely,and finally gave E.House the minutes he deserve, it help spread the floor,something needed.

thanks for reminding me that players win games, coaches just lose them ... it's one of those things that sounds ridiculous, but inevitably keeps getting repeated.

Well, I'll say that at all times, players win or lose games.  Coaches just determine whether those players are in the best position to succeed. 

Last night, I don't think there's a coach in the NBA who could have coached a better second half.  *Maybe* equal it, but definitely not surpass it.  Doc put his team in the ultimate position to succeed, and if he didn't do that, the players' effort wouldn't have made a difference.  So, Doc didn't win the game -- the players did -- but we don't win the game without Doc.  If that makes any sense at all.

[BballTim]

Without Docs motivation and mentality we do not win the game. Doc does a great job getting the best out of his players. Phil would not have been able to make this comeback.

While I agree that Doc's motivation was crucial to this win, I wouldn't quite question Phil's ability to motivate. He has an awful lot of rings on his hands and if I remember correctly he recently coached a team back from a 20 point deficit down to 2 in the 4th quarter. They just got it together later in the game than we did. The difference was that we were down big at the half where they knew they HAD to come out differently. The game in Boston the lead ballooned in the 3rd quarter  and just spiraled before their run. He also coached them back from a huge deficit in the Utah series.

Give Doc this one, but Phil isn't chopped liver as much as I hate the guy!

  The Celts fell asleep when they were up 20 in the 4th quarter. You're giving too much credit to the Lakers.