Doc Rivers Inspires Confidence, Loyalty From Celtics Players

by abournenesn

Apr 29, 2012

Doc Rivers Inspires Confidence, Loyalty From Celtics PlayersIf anyone in the Celtics locker room is going to have a harsh word to say about head coach Doc Rivers, it is Sasha Pavlovic.

The 28-year-old Montenegrin once played in an NBA Finals as a valued reserve and occasional starter alongside LeBron James in Cleveland, playing in a league-high 20 postseason games in 2007. But the one-time key to a conference champion battled injuries in January and February, limiting him to fewer than 12 minutes per game this season. His playing time was infrequent until injuries and rest for other players granted him extended playing time in the final weeks of the season, and although plans are always subject to change, the swingman does not appear to be a major part of the Celtics' playoff rotation.

Despite all that, Pavlovic had nothing but positive things to say when asked about his coach before the final game of the regular season.

"He's a great coach, man," Pavlovic said. "Even more than that, he's a great person off the court. He just gives you freedom. He gets to know his players pretty well, pretty quick. I just love playing for him."

In his eighth season on the Boston bench, Rivers has come to be considered as one of the best coaches in the game. A recent Sports Illustrated player poll named Rivers as the coach most NBA players wanted to play for, and this season's crop of new Celtics have cited Rivers as a deciding factor in why they chose to sign with Boston.

According to several players, Rivers' skill is instilling accountability while allowing his players to exercise freedom on offense, as long as they stick to the tenets of his offensive and defensive system. Reserves like Pavlovic, Keyon Dooling and E'Twaun Moore say they never hesitate to shoot because Rivers encourages every player to take open shots, regardless of their place in the team's pecking order.

In addition, Rivers warned every player they would be needed to play important minutes at a moment's notice, and numerous times he turned out to be correct. Ray Allen's injured right ankle created an opportunity for Avery Bradley and Dooling, and season-ending injuries to Jermaine O'Neal and Chris Wilcox were survivable due to changing roles for Kevin Garnett and Greg Stiemsma, and the March signing of Ryan Hollins.

"Doc and the coaches have done a great job of keeping all the bigs prepared," Hollins said. "He trusts all of us and in every situation we know what our job is, what our minutes are. The team goes on with whoever's on the floor, so we've all got the responsibility to come in there and play big."

An 82-game season is typically a slog. Six months of games and practices test players' focus, but this year's 66-game ordeal added an endurance element. Without proper practice or recovery time, players battled physical burn-out as well as mental fatigue. Rivers combated this by cutting down on practices, something no coach enjoys doing, but Rivers felt it was necessary to keep the older legs on the team rested.

Moments of levity help break up the monotony, too. At Friday's practice, while reporters huddled around Allen for his latest injury update, a rolled-up piece of paper nudged into the mass of microphones and recorders. Holding the piece of paper was Rivers, mimicking a sportswriter, curious for an update himself.

That balance of seriousness and friskiness is why, in Pavlovic's words, "whoever knows him, probably wants to play for him." But playing for Rivers is no joke. Along with the freedom he gives his players, especially his stars, Rivers expects them to be straightforward about their personal physical condition. He has sat down Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Garnett at times against their will, but those players have also come to him and admitted when they needed to rest nagging injuries to stay healthy in the long run.

By taking the long view, the Celtics were also able to look past a 4-8 start and 15-17 mark at the All-Star break, rolling through April at 22-10 and claiming their fifth consecutive Atlantic Division title. It was a coaching move — Rivers' declaration in the middle of a game in Dallas on the second-to-last game before the All-Star break that Garnett would move to center — that solidified the Celtics defense and sparked the team to its strong finish.

Now the Celtics stand at the starting blocks for what may be this group's final title shot, and they cannot think of another person they would want leading them. 

Have a question for Ben Watanabe? Send it to him via Twitter at @BenjeeBallgame or send it here.

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