The Celtics instead had Keyon Dooling, Ryan Hollins, Sasha Pavlovic, Mickael Pietrus and Greg Stiemsma facing off with the Toronto Raptors. It wasn't a completely unfair fight. They were playing the Raptors, after all.
After that unit extended the Celtics' lead 13 points, however, Celtics coach Doc Rivers went back to what worked during the Celtics' four-game win streak, and what should have worked again. With seven minutes to go in the second quarter, Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass checked in, with Hollins and Pietrus going out. Soon, Boston's double-digit lead went with them.
The Celtics' starters never seemed to be emotionally engaged in the game until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, something that was evident to Rivers on the bench during the 84-79 loss. The coached admitted afterward that his adjusted substitution pattern, designed to give his starters a breather on the first leg of a four-game, five-night road trip, may have backfired.
"I messed their rhythm up a little bit in the first half," Rivers said. "I told them I was going to not give them a lot of minutes, give them a rest and try to make a charge in the second half, and I didn't think we handled that very well. You keep learning your team and I thought we came out almost in a slow, cool mood."
Although the Celtics reserves combined to shoot 4-for-17 from the field in the game, the bench did not cost Boston the win. Rivers rode his full complement of starters in the third quarter, when the Raptors outscored the Celtics 27-11.
Rivers does not have a lot of time to rethink his strategy. The Celtics play Saturday night in New Jersey and again Sunday in Charlotte. They get a whole day off Monday before taking on the rival Knicks on Tuesday in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden.
He sounded unsure of how he would alter his rotations or if he would simply go back to the original pattern. All he knew immediately following Friday's loss was that his plan against the Raptors had been all wrong.
"I don't do this, that's for sure," Rivers said.
Have a question for Ben Watanabe? Send it to him via Twitter at @BenjeeBallgame or send it here.
