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September 9, 2008
Celtics Coach Doc Rivers Gets Respect and New Contract
Vindication, reward, and gratefulness.
A player's coach proves you can win and be that way. Call it a victory for the good guys in life.
Adrian Wojnarowski just reported it at Yahoo Sports.....
Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics have reached agreement on a contract extension through the 2010-2011 season, a league source familiar with the deal told Yahoo! Sports.With approximately $5.5 million a season in the new deal – and postseason incentive clauses that could drive his annual total to $7 million – to go with a chance to win more titles, Rivers never seriously considered walking away.
That gives Doc three more years...coincidentally, about as long as they can ride this train called the BTS (Boston Three Star) Express.
His melding of personalities, especially three huge egos of NBA superstars Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, with an untried, work-in-progress, at times stubborn, but very talented 2nd year point guard in Rajon Rondo and a young developing center in Kendrick Perkins to form the nucleus of the league's biggest turnaround in NBA history and an NBA Championship was simply magnificent.
Watching Doc work James Posey, Glen Davis, Leon Powe, Eddie House, Sam Cassell, and PJ Brown into the best team in the NBA this past season was a ride that was nothing short of thrilling. What many thought might be a roller coaster ride, turned out to be a ride straight to the top.
With a stutter step in the first 2 rounds in the playoffs, Boston regained form and discharged both Detroit and the Lakers with relative ease. Though rocky at times, they never lost serve and never played from behind the entire play-offs. They never played from behind (in the standings) the entire year either. Leading from starting gate to finish line, they burned rubber off the line to an 8-0 start. Then they turbo-charged up to an atmospheric 30-3. Doc started to let up on the gas and the minutes for Kevin Garnett particularly as well as Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to be sure they had enough for the play-offs. The Celtics 'coasted' home with a ridiculous 66-16 record.
Often following match ups and intuition, Doc played either Powe and Davis to great success. He also checked his ego by first being willing to bring in Larry Brown (he turned the Celtics down) and finally getting Tom Thibodeau after a brief 2 day stay in Washington. (I wonder what that was all about?) Glenn Rivers epitomized the team first approach he wanted his team to emulate. He essentially let Thibodeau create and run the defense.
Boy did they ever play defense. Surprisingly, this team won the title based on defense. Everyone thought this team was going to be defensively challenged, the Green Machine was consistently at or near the top in every major defensive category.
Thanks to a coach who plied, stroked, rebuked, advised, motivated, argued with, and respected the different personalities on this team, they are the NBA Champions of 2007-8.
He is being paid to do it again. New year, new challenges. Welcome back Doc. The new season begins soon.
Leo Durocher was wrong. Nice guys do finish first.
Posted by Tom on September 9, 2008 10:44 PM
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