Doc Rivers Recalls Michael Jordan’s Gambling Controversy, Comeback from 0-2 Deficit Against Knicks in 1993

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May 6, 2011

When you think of great series comebacks in NBA playoff history, teams rallying back from down 2-0 and taking care of business, there are lot of teams that might come to mind. There's the '07 Cavs in the East finals, who vanquished the mighty Pistons. There's the '06 Heat in the Finals, led by two guys you may have heard of — Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. If you really know your history, you might think of John Havlicek and the 1969 Celtics against the Lakers.

But for Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who enjoyed a nice little 13-year playing career of his own back in the day, a different memory comes to mind.

It's the 1993 Bulls, in Michael Jordan's final season before his first retirement, who charged back from down 2-0 against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. They won the series 4-2, fueled by a pair of blowout wins at home in Games 3 and 4.

Doc played for that Knicks team — he was the starting point guard when the Bulls ransacked them in four straight to win the East. But his most vivid memory has nothing to do with what happened on the court. It was the controversy off it.

Jordan sparked mayhem in the media that spring with the news that his pregame regimen included gambling in Atlantic City. Blackjack replaced basketball as the big story. America cared more about Jordan on the casino floor than the one at the United Center.

"I've been waiting for one of you guys to talk about somebody gambling, so we could piss off the greatest player in the world for four days about his late-night gambling," Rivers joked Friday. "I was hoping we could bring up Paul [Pierce] or Kevin [Garnett] gambling. Just something to get them going."

Jordan's situation was identical to the one the Celtics face now — Games 1 and 2 on the road Sunday and Tuesday, followed by a break, followed by a home Game 3 on Saturday night.

There are endless possibilities when you give an NBA player three full days off.

"With the break, you never know," Rivers said. "We would have loved to play the day after, let's put it that way. The three or four days in between the games, it helped, and it's probably going to help us as well."

As for a gambling controversy, Rivers tried his best to make one up on the spot. We'll see if it catches on.

"KG was at Foxwoods, yes," the coach joked.

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