Doc's decisions down the stretch (split)

[Spfldkid]

Dern, why didn't doc have ray fouls salmons....2 pointer,2 free throws.... us by one...? Gorden then hit the 3...? Oh Doc, too much pressure....another overtime....! Why did he wait to put in  TA till the end...for real tight good D...did you see gordon wave TA's arm away....no call of course...! That was before the ot....

[HYPE.]

Doc barely put any bench players in aside from Eddie House (who has been playing horribly for the past few games) and overplayed his starters. Smart, Doc, Smart.

[Roy Hobbs]

Doc barely put any bench players in aside from Eddie House (who has been playing horribly for the past few games) and overplayed his starters. Smart, Doc, Smart.

Well, with Perk and Scal fouled out, and Mikki Moore ineffective, his hands were a bit tied.

I didn't like a lot of Doc's rotations (too many bench players in at once), and I didn't like the decision not to foul.  Not a great game for Doc, but this one (as usually is the case) is on the players.

[celticinorlando]

doc rivers blew that call...period.....you foul salmons....get the ball back with 7 seconds left and shoot free throws until clock runs out

[CoachBo]

We have no bench depth. Haven't had for most of the season.

You can debate the play at the end of the first OT - personally, I'm going to count on my players not getting caught flat-footed like Pierce did, given the way we've shot fouls in key spots this year - but there's simply not an argument about the bench. Two people fouled out.

[Cs09Champs]

I agree, Doc blew it.  

[cordobes]

I hope we have a bench - and one that can resist a couple of injuries - next season. As long as the opponent doesn't demand it - say a team with bigger wings - I'm okay with Allen only playing situational minutes.

As for fouling, meh... that's a very old conundrum. I think the only NBA coach that would foul would be Mike Dunleavy; the large majority follows Doc's philosophy.

[CoachBo]

I hope we have a bench - and one that can resist a couple of injuries - next season. As long as the opponent doesn't demand it - say a team with bigger wings - I'm okay with Allen only playing situational minutes.

As for fouling, meh... that's a very old conundrum. I think the only NBA coach that would foul would be Mike Dunleavy; the large majority follows Doc's philosophy.

Correct. I was - and am - fine with the decision not to foul. What I'm not fine with is the Captain getting caught flat-footed out there. Coaching decisions tend not to look good when the players fail to execute.

[celticinorlando]

you foul..it cost memphis a NC and it cost boston today...

[Bhay99]

eh...BG hit an unreal shot, sure, fouling there may have won us the game, but doc got ray 2 WIDE OPEN shots at end of game situations which has to be very hard to do.  Give the bulls some credit, they are fighting us hard

[cordobes]

you foul..it cost memphis a NC and it cost boston today...

And by fouling you can also lose - and even fail to have another chance at the OT. If the option was so clear, why do you think so many great college and NBA coaches, including some former Celtics greats, don't opt to foul? Are they all idiots?

[furball]

I have no problem with not fouling.  If they foul then Salmons hits the fre throws and then they foul and the C's have to hit free trows.  The three did n't lose the game so you defend it and make them hit a hard shot.  He did.  Then they had plenty of time to get a good shot off and Rondo missed a wide open 18 footer.  The end of the game calls were fine, Goirdon hit his show, the C's missed.  And all that did was force another overtime, not lose the game.  

[celticinorlando]

you foul and make gordon make 2 pressure FT's...at worst you get the ball back up one and you get to ray allen who would have been fouled...then you allow him to make the FT's and go back up three...you foul there...if they did boston would be up 3-1

[fairweatherfan]

I don't mind the decision to not foul - fouling when up 3 is one of those things that announcers and analysts love and coaches hate.  I'll trust the coaches on that one.  And even a lot of the announcers and analysts say it should only be done with under 5 seconds.  But that would have been a pretty good opportunity to use it. 

[CoachBo]

Ah, so what if Rondo gets the inbounds up one, bricks two FTs - he's done it before - and then Chicago hits a runner at the end to win it?

Easy to second-guess what doesn't work.

Again: I wouldn't foul either.

And I'd be unhappy with the Captain for letting Gordon run by him.

Hopefully, management's noting how this all plays out and resolving to do a better job accumulating bench players this summer - useful ones, not "no upside" suspencts.