Through injuries that keep coming like the clowns out the door of that tiny car, Rivers is being forced to perform a balancing act unseen in his tenure as Celtics coach.
But unlike the tightrope walker who has a bar to maintain equilibrium, Rivers is armed only with an idea of who can provide what on any given night. The latest act took place on Wednesday night without Paul Pierce, day-to-day with a left foot injury.
"We've got to do something," Rivers said when asked how to limit minutes for players with Pierce out. "We've got to figure out something. I have to figure out something. … It's funny. You have these rotations that you want to go in the game with, and then one of the guards gets in foul trouble with Paul out, and you're stuck."
The foul trouble came when Tony Allen picked up two in the first quarter and then a third the moment he returned in the second. With no Pierce, still no Marquis Daniels and a limited Allen, the burden fell on 34-year-old Ray Allen, who topped the 42-minute mark for just the seventh time this season.
Ray Allen's minutes have increased each month of the season. January saw him average 37 minutes, 30 seconds a game, the most in any month for the sharpshooter since January of 2008. It's one part of the act that Rivers knows is a bit off.
"That's too many [minutes]," Rivers said. "He's playing too many minutes. And I know we don't have a lot of guards left right now."
Indeed, the other starting guard, Rajon Rondo, played over 44 minutes for the sixth time in 2009-10.
What made it all a bit easier to take was the fact that the tandem combined for 45 points, 17 assists, 13 rebounds and six steals. Both made eight free throws, some of which helped seal the 107-102 win.
And on the other end of the scale, Rivers was able to limit Kevin Garnett to 30 minutes, 33 seconds — his second-lowest total since returning from a knee injury — and Kendrick Perkins to under 27.
For a night, it worked. But Rivers knows balance is necessary in the long run.
"I've been around this too long and know that we've got to lower his minutes," he said of Ray Allen.
The last thing Rivers wants is for this to become a routine.
