Hugs all around. The Big Three era ain't over yet.

The final buzzer blew and tears flowed. Not only did the Boston Celtics lose a heartbreaking Game 7, but they didn’t know what lay in store.

Futures were in limbo, and it was unclear whether the Big Three era would live to play another day. In the locker room Doc Rivers told his team, the grown men bawling in front of him, “You’ve still yet to have a true chance to defend your title because Perk wasn’t there.” And the saddest part was, we thought they might never get that chance.

Luckily, we underestimated the loyalty these men hold in their hearts for the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce opted out of his contract, and we briefly believed he might head elsewhere. But he never even spoke to other teams. There was plenty of talk about Doc Rivers’ potential retirement. But Doc came back, saying, “We want to go after this one more time, and we have Kevin [Garnett] and Paul [Pierce] and Ray [Allen] hopefully all coming back, so why not? Let’s see if we can do it one more time.” Ray Allen, too, was rumored in talks of leaving. He was recruited by Lebron James to be the King’s right-hand man. But Ray couldn’t leave, either. “I’m happy to be returning as a Celtic,” he told WEEI.com via text message. “There’s no other place I wanted to be.”

Since the original Big Three era fell apart toward the end, breaking into 22 years of mediocrity, the Celtics have sometimes been criticized for keeping the crew together. Red Auerbach should have traded those guys away, some fans say. They should have rebuilt. But shouldn’t teams show the same loyalty to their players as they would expect from their fans? Didn’t Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish deserve to be Boston Celtics as long as they wanted to? With their devotion to the Celtics and the city of Boston, didn’t those players earn the right to stay put?

To this day, Bird remembers Auerbach’s loyalty to that Celtics core. “Sometimes you’ve got to show loyalty in this business, and Red (Auerbach) did that,” Bird told the Boston Herald. He did it for a number of years.” In some way, isn’t that loyalty more important than winning dozens of championships?

Many bad aspects of sports have been exposed during this NBA free agency. Egotism. Selfishness. Greed. A stunning lack of humility and grace. Everywhere you look, it’s Lebron this, Lebron that or Big Three this, Big Three that. Due to marketing, the media and whatever else, individuals have become more highly regarded than teams, even though teamwork is the backbone of sport.

But while free agency kicks off, the Boston Celtics — the same team that knocked both Lebron James and Dwyane Wade out of the playoffs — quietly re-formed to take another run at a championship. And they did it because of one thing: Loyalty. 

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen could have chased money. Ray could have chased a title as Lebron’s sidekick. Doc Rivers could have went home to his family and relaxed for the first time in years. Danny Ainge could have blown the whole thing up and started the rebuilding process.

But they’re all back. And I have a funny feeling it’s mostly because they share a deep, deep love.

Will it still be this familiar face leading the huddle?

On an interview with WEEI this morning, Gary Washburn said he expects Doc Rivers to stay on as head coach of the Boston Celtics.

“I think he stays,” Washburn said. “You don’t get that year back. You could coach a team, you could always have another opportunity to coach, but you don’t get another opportunity to coach the guys in that locker room.

“I think he realizes he’s not going to get a chance to coach three Hall of Famers again, even in his next job. I think he wants to take advantage of it. I think he probably enjoyed some of the things that went on in the playoffs and, you know, I think he wants to give it one last run. I think he really understands his place in Celtics history, in Celtics lore, and he wants to be a part of that.”

Washburn continued to discuss whether right now would be the best time for Doc to take a sabbatical. “I think he could take one next year. I think he’d much rather watch his son’s first and probably only year of college than to watch his senior year of high school, which is going to be somewhat anti-climactic once he picks a college. So I would think next year would probably be a better year for him to step away.”

If Rivers decides not to come back, Washburn said Kevin McHale would probably be the frontrunner to replace him. He and the interviewers also spoke of a strained relationship between McHale and Garnett, which I never knew about. I always thought the two were on great terms; I thought Garnett looks up to McHale and has always considered him a mentor.

Back to Doc. In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News, Rivers explained why the decision is such a tough one.

“I’m not going to get into the whole thing,” Doc Rivers said, “but I have four kids, and two of them are in college. Austin’s in high school, and I have a young one going to be a freshman in high school and I’ve already been gone (in Boston) for six years. “So, we still have an unbelievable relationship as a family,” he said. “As long as I think that’s intact, then that’ll make it an easier decision. But I want to make sure that’s there. We evaluate that every summer.”

Rivers also mentioned that he still loves coaching. The current roster, he says, has made coaching as fun as ever.

“That’s the toughest part about it,” he said.  “If you didn’t like coaching or you were burned out by coaching …  I’m not, actually.  Over the past year, I’ve been reinvigorated in some ways from the group (in Boston) that I have.  That’s what makes it so much more difficult for me.”

Though Doc has said he’d probably make a decision by July 1, he also told the Express-News, “I’m just going to take my time.”

I say we let Doc take the entire summer off. Let him recharge the batteries, travel the country watching his son play AAU basketball, and stay as far away from the Celtics’ Waltham practice facilities as he wants. The C’s have enough veterans to run offseason workouts by themselves, they don’t need a head coach overseeing their every move.

Anything to get Doc back. And maybe bribe his family or something. Or kidnap them, hold them hostage, and demand that Doc coach. Whatever it takes.

Kevin McHale is a leading candidate to become the Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach next season. (NBA Fanhouse)

As I tweeted late last night, the Clippers have finally moved ahead in their coaching search.

Sources say Dwane Casey (former Minnesota head coach and current Dallas assistant) and Kevin McHale (former Minnesota general manager and interim coach) have been contacted about the opening. No interviews have been scheduled as of yet. The Clippers had been telling candidates that they wouldn’t get started until after July 1.

Just in case Doc leaves, I don’t want McHale and that weird-ass body of his coaching in Los Angeles. If I have to hear Vinny Del Negro’s name uttered as a potential Celtics coach one more time, I’m going to throw my computer out the window.

Vinny Del Negro? You've gotta be kidding me.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix gave WEEI an interview today, and it’s just the latest in a long line of signs that Doc Rivers intends to walk away from basketball — and the Boston Celtics — before next season.

I’ve talked to a few coaching friends of Doc in the last 72 hours, and every one of them, the consensus is that he’s probably going to walk away. For all the reasons that he enumerated, there’s nothing remotely surprising about it. They feel like it’s time, they feel like it makes sense. He’s taken the team or the team has gone as a current group as far as they possibly can go and now is a great situation to leave. Nothing that’s new as far as I was being told, but the tug of the family in Florida and wanting to watch his kids grow up have really weighed on Doc a lot more this year than they have in years past. So the consensus is around the league that he’s going to walk away.

Mannix then spoke about possible Rivers replacements, naming Kevin McHale, Sam Mitchell and — wait for it… keep waiting… good God it’s bad — Vinny Del Negro as top choices. Look, losing Doc Rivers is bad enough. Speculation about Del Negro coaching the Celtics? Now that is some shit I can’t handle.

In other news, Mannix said one GM told him Ray Allen was going to ask for a five year, $75 million deal. What the fuck? That can’t be right, can it?

Nobody fouls out? Would that ever work?

David Stern was on WEEI today and I was interested to see what he had to say about the overabundance of foul calls in the first two games. He did speak on that, but what he had to say wasn’t too interesting. He basically just came to the aid of his blind referees.

What I found most interesting is that Stern said the NBA “has considered and will continue to consider” a “nobody fouls out” rule.

As the CEO of a successful organization, wouldn’t one of the last things you want to see be one or two superstars sitting in a Game 6 or Game 7 due to foul trouble? What about a “nobody fouls out” rule?

That’s something the competition committee has considered and will continue to consider. I wouldn’t impose that marketing decision on a basketball group. There are good and sufficient reasons that our teams believe that that’s a fair issue of competition, and that you shouldn’t give a pass to players to play at a different set of rules or change the rules to take care of them just because you want to keep them in the game.

When I think about getting rid of the foul out rule, I find it tough to imagine basketball without fouling out. But when I search my mind for a reason why, all I come up with is that fouling out is the only way I know how to curb fouls in basketball. It’s what was born with, what I’ve been raised with, and what I’ve become accustomed to.

But is having players foul out the best way to do things?

I don’t know. What if we had a league where nobody could foul out? Where players could hack and push and elbow each other all day long, with the only retribution coming in the form of two foul shots? That wouldn’t work, would it?

But what if we had something where a player’s sixth foul and every foul thereafter resulted in three foul shots or four foul shots? A coach could keep a player in the game if he had that many fouls, but it could come with serious side-effects. That would punish the player for being such a hack, punish the team for leaving such a hack in, but let the stars play no matter what.

Now I don’t know if something like that would work, or even if it’s a decent idea, but it’s something to talk about. Anybody else got any ideas?

(P.S. – I’d settle for just getting some refs who don’t blow a whistle every 0.2 seconds. Wouldn’t you?)

Rondo's face pretty much summed up the Celtics' day.

Less than four minutes into the first quarter of Game 1, Ron Artest hit a 22 foot jump shot from the top of the key. When looking back at the Celtics loss, I am struck by this moment not because Ron decided to pull from a step inside the three point line, (a shot coaches often refer to as, “the worst shot in basketball”) but because Artest’s bucket would prove to be a red herring for what the C’s would endure in Game 1.

By now, you’re all aware of the beating the Celtics were handed last night. Out of respect for you I will avoid the statistical breakdown, as I’m sure many of you can regurgitate it from memory. Instead, let’s examine Game 1 as a narrative, highlighting the important plot points of this modern tragedy. The following is a breakdown of moments that were crucial to the development of Act 1 of the NBA Finals.

1. 27 seconds into the game Paul Pierce and Ron Artest got tangled up under the boards. Minor showmanship and dick-measuring ensued. I expected nothing less — this is a Celtics-Lakers championship series. What I didn’t expect was Joe Crawford’s issuance of a double technical foul. To employ my favorite rhetorical–really, dude?  Did you forget to take your Nootropic medicine yesterday? The whole ‘rivalry’ thing must have slipped Joe’s mind. It’s amazing to me how soft the league has become, throwing out Techs like they’re British Petroleum stock. Kevin McHale probably threw up in his mouth a little when he saw that call.

2. Less than 2 minutes and 20 seconds into the game, Derek Fisher made his first shot attempt. Congratulations, D-Fish. I sincerely believe that this was the only time I’ve seen you make your first field goal attempt in a game. On a good night, it takes Derek Fisher three or four shots to get going. From the outset it appeared that Lady Luck was wooed by the bright lights of Hollywood and she would spend the evening sitting squarely in Jack’s lap.

3. With 6 minutes and 34 seconds left in the first quarter, Ray Allen picked up his second personal foul. Allen would be plagued by foul trouble all night, scoring 12 points in only 27 minutes of action. You’d think Jesus might have gotten a little more love in the City of Angels.

4. With 5 minutes and 41 seconds left in the half, Andrew Bynum yammed one off a pass from a cutting Derek Fisher. It was a forceful dunk, almost Shaquille-esque. At that moment it was apparent that, at least for Game 1, Bynum wasn’t going to play like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Bynum ended with a respectable 10 points and 6 rebounds. Still, I wouldn’t worry about his influence throughout the series, as Andrew appears inherently soft. If KG and Perkins don’t break him, his knee, or perhaps Kobe’s yelling, will.

5. Rondo ended the half with a fade away 21 footer next to the Celtics bench, and the C’s were down 50-41 going into the half.

I thought this shot would provide a critical boost as the Celtics entered the locker room. Specifically, I hoped that draining such a difficult shot would give Rondo confidence to let go from the perimeter. From the outset, Kobe had made it clear that he would not track Rondo beyond 18 feet, giving him limitless freedom to launch from the outside. Obviously, perimeter shooting is the most underdeveloped aspect of Rondo’s game. Still, the Celtics are going to struggle if he continues to pass up wide open looks. Rondo needs to, at the very least, create the illusion that he is confident shooting from three. If Rondo can sink a couple of outside shots Bryant will be forced to extend his defense; thereby creating ideal Rondo’ing conditions.

6. 4:48 left in the third quarter, Ron Artest dropped another half-baked attempt from just inside the three point line. You can’t expect to win when this continues to happen. Under most circumstances, these are the shots you hope for, moments when Ron Artest’s severely malnourished mind works in the Celtics favor. Unfortunately, like the saying goes, every dog has his day.

7. With 2 minutes and 12 seconds left in the 3rd, Kobe Bryant caught a transition lob pass from Derek Fisher to put the Lakers up 13, 75-62. In the words of ESPN anchor, Neil Everett, “boy, that one really electrified that LA crowd.”  Everett sounded genuinely surprised, which makes sense–it takes nothing short of basketball magic to stimulate the jaded, superficial Los Angeles crowd.

8. 6:24 Ron Artest blocked and stripped Glen Davis. Artest proceeded to perform a touchdown-style dance, while Jordan Farmar recovered the ball and threw a length of the court assist to Pau Gasol. I’m sure Kobe loves watching Artest celebrate like he just won the series in the middle of Game 1. Keep it up big guy.

9. Perhaps the defining moment of Game 1, Kevin Garnett missed a should-have-been-dunked layup, with 5 minutes and 35 seconds left in the 4th quarter. At the time, the Celtics were down 91 to 78, and in need of a critical jump start. I’m not one to prematurely throw in the towel, but I have to admit, at that moment, I lost hope for Game 1.

To prevent a similar storyline in Game 2, adjustments need to be made on both ends. The Celtics need to infuriate LA defensively, establishing themselves as the more physical team. On offense, the C’s need to move the ball, working for more high percentage shots.

That being said, some of the Lakers’ play was downright lucky. Ron Artest won’t consistently hit 21 foot jump shots. Ray Allen won’t be in foul trouble for entire games, and it seems unlikely that Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant are capable of continuously shutting down Rajon Rondo.

One thing is for sure, Doc Rivers will not allow the Celtics to be continually outworked on the defensive end.

Hopefully, the heroes will prevail in Game 2.