Doc Rivers scouts, takes notes on NBA Finals
Doc Rivers wished he could watch the game like any other spectator. He would love to enjoy watching basketball during his offseason, and especially during the NBA Finals, when the NBA’s competition reigns supreme. Instead he sat down equipped with a notepad and his game face, the preparation for next season already underway.
“I wish I could look at it the other way and enjoy [watching the NBA Finals], but I can honestly tell you that, last night, I was sitting in front of the TV in my office with a notepad, taking notes like you would do in the middle of a season,” Rivers told ESPN Radio in New York.
“You’re scouting the game. Not because the Heat may win or may not win, but [because] the Heat are who we are going to have to get through in order to get [back] to the Finals. So, you’re watching them every second that you can. This is the best you are going to see them, so this is probably the best time to scout them as well.”
Among his notes, potentially:
- “Leaving Mario Chalmers wide open, in most cases, is okay. Leaving Mario Chalmers wide open from three-point range in a three-point game with less than a minute to go is not.”
- “Do not have Chris Bosh defend Dirk Nowitzki on the game’s final play, under any circumstances. But especially if you have Udonis Haslem on the court.”
- “Get down 15 points first. Then make comeback.”
- “Mike Miller: hah!”
- “Trade for Dirk. Preferably a sign-and-trade for Glen Davis. Throw in Troy Murphy if the Mavs want equal value.”
After scouting the game, Rivers concluded the Celtics still have a chance next season.
“You can beat them, but you have to beat them and you have to play right and you have to have the right pieces,” he told ESPN Radio. “But there’s no superpowers that cannot be beaten in our league, but you have to put the right formula and right team together. I can guarantee you we are looking to do that.”
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | June 3, 2011
I’m sorry, but that whole attitude nauseates me – I mean the attitude of looking to see how ‘they’ play and then crafting your team around that. We should build our own team and make them play OUR game. If you think about the justifications that Danny’s Defenders have offered for The Trade, they always revolve around the idea that it was vital for us to adapt ourselves to the Heat’s strengths. So how did that work out? We had a way of playing basketball that not only worked, but worked brilliantly, a way that made us unstoppable when we were focused. But Danny and Doc thought that it would be a really bright idea to go away from the game we had established, and adapt to the Heat’s game, in mid-stride no less.
So I guess that it’s no surprise that Doc now wants to compound the folly. He should be looking at HIS team and thinking about their strengths and potential and about how to make the most of it. But instead he’s thinking about how we can adapt to the Heat. How depressing, dreary and defeatist. I pray that Rondo comes back like a lion next year and stamps his own, revitalized personality on the team, because if he doesn’t, we get the Danny-and-Doc defeatism.
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paul…I agree with your first comments but then you go off again. We got beat this year solely because of injuries. Dallas should be pounding the ball inside as that is the Heat’s primary weakness. We have the team that can beat anyone, but they have to rebound significantly better and not be last or next to last in hitting the boards (use Murphy as that is his strength), play our stellar defense, guard the 3 line by staying with each player’s man and not rotating or doubling, and have a healthy Rondo do his thing. Again, injuries killed our offense at the end. But Doc needs to change his game plan or we’ll see the same version rolled out and that will not get it done. Again, it all starts with rebounding better. Go Cs…
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Note to paul…my comments re your last post re Shaq retiring which were not taken in that post as I tried at least a dozen times but it never took. so here they are in 2 parts….
paul…thanks for calling me young but not for the lame drinking from the “hype” fountain comment. You just really pissed me off so here we go. I’ll get to your monotonous ‘the trade’ comments but first let me wise you up as you’re truly misspoken again about me for the billionth time. I will be 58 in a few months and I grew up watching hoops with my father from the time I was 6-7 yrs old. Lived in SF and my father followed Russell and Sam Jones from their days at USF; ergo I became a Celtic fan. I don’t say the old guys are better or that the young are better; I do say that it would be nice to see them compete against each other but I’m fairly sure Havlicek could not hold Kobe under 30 pts a night on a regular basis and Kobe could defend Havlicek very well. Ever hear of evolution? The players today are bigger, quicker, and just plain better. But you give Havlicek wt. training like Kobe does and he’d likely be very close in ability. I watched 7 years in a row of Russell and the other Celtic teams dominate the Lakers for the title. I watched Wilt, Reed, Moses, Gilmore, Unseld, all of them and I’d like you to tell me who Shaq did not dominate as you claim? Was it in the last 5 years of his career or during his prime or early years? Give us some f’in facts if you’re going to make such a stupid, inane statement. One game, maybe two, but never in any playoff series or regularly was Shaq ever not dominating. Prove it to us with something other than your inflated opinion. Here are some facts: Wilt (275) and Russell (215) were dwarfed by Shaq. He would have no problem with them.
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MY second part for paul re Shaq retiring…
Now to bringing up the ‘trade’ again. How could DA ever know, or anyone including the doctors, that Shaq’s injury wasn’t healing until realizing so by him coming back, playing and faltering? You berate DA like he’s supposed to be some sort of seer and can see into the future. He makes decisions based on what he sees and is told. The assumption was that Shaq would come back and based on that, and his level of superior play with the team when he started, DA made a move that he had to because once again (your almighty God-like, do no wrong, Ubuntu loving center Perk ‘the magnificent’ refused an offer and we needed bench help after MD was significantly injured and never was able to return all season, so we had no back up to PP. Question – did Perk ever “dominate” Shaq? I think not. Will you please get over the trade and stop talking about it in every post you write? Your one track mind is seriously obscuring some quality posts (like your 2nd post respecting Shaq this season) you make but then you step in ‘it’ again, and again, and again. Maybe you can get some post-trade counseling or go to hoops rehab and get weaned off of all the trade comments? The trade was in February and I believe we’ll be hearing about it until next February, and beyond. So in the meantime, how about you get us some stats and facts to back up your claims instead of just opinions, which we are all certainly entitled to. Go Cs….the end.
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James…. Did you exceed some sort of max “character”(as they’re called) limit?
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Nick…seems like I did as paul got to me once again. Go Cs…
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James… As soon as i read the first paragraph of Paul’s post, i knew you were going to get into (yet another) debate with him.
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Paul, i agree with you in part, but not all in building a team to compete with the Heat. Last season, after the loss to the Lakers, the C’s went out and loaded up on centers to compete with the Laker big men ( and obviously due to Perkins injury). Yet we never even saw the Lakers in post season. Instead we faced a Miami heat where speed and agility and youth were the differing factors (and yes, James, frigging injuries, which relates to age again).
Yet since Miami is in our conference, as is Chicago, the C’s should be looking at how they match up. I agree that we should be trying to be better, rather than keep up with other teams, but let’s face it: the Bulls and Heat look like the future of the East right now. In fact, if Chicago gets another shooter, they could likely be in the Finals next year, which proves your point that we shouldn’t be using Miami as the model.
And really, does anyone really believe that free agency is going to bring in someone to compete with James or Wade? Hell no. But hopefully they can be build a team that has the right chemistry to compete against anyone. Some young athletes to help the Big 3. A decent center if they can afford one. And another shooter.
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Chris H…how in the hell do injuries relate to age? How old is Rondo? His injury was the worst of them all. Injuries have nothing to do with age. Ask Greg Oden? As far as a quality FA coming in the Cs have no $$$ unless said agent decides to sign for the mid-level exception, which automatically makes them a lower level FA. What this team needs to do is stay healthy (luck) and learn to rebound better. DA will help reload but we have talent (Bradley, Murphy [rebounder], Wafer [offense]) but Doc has to actually use them and give them meaningful minutes in order for them to be effective. Go Cs…
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James…As you get older in the NBA your more prone to injury. You could use Greg Oden and Rondo to argue that, but RR was a freak accident(well deliberate by Wade) and Oden is just an unfortunate case
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Nick…I understand that older players get hurt but so do young ones. Grant Hill lost 5 years early in his career but look at him now. I don’t think you can say that JO at 31 is old but he got injured over the last several years from his late twenties. It would be interesting to know what the numbers are if anyone has ever made a study. There are numerous young guys like Brandon Roy, Sam Bowie, etc. that get injured but I will agree that wear and tear causes problems for all ages and it would seem older players may be more susceptible to injury, but I don’t think you can argue that because a player is older injuries are going to happen. Go Cs…
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True. I agree.
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James, i was really talking about shaq, since they were weakest at center in the playoffs. and the big 3 are definitely slower, can no longer run with teams like the Heat or Bulls, let’s be honest.
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