In tonight's Celtics-Lakers game something happened that may have gone unnoticed by most fans, but certainly made me smile as a coach. With 1:39 to go in the game that was still close, the Celtics grabbed a rebound and had 8 seconds to get the ball past half court. When things started to unravel, Boston coach Doc Rivers ran out onto the court and called a timeout with only a second to spare. Quick thinking by Rivers prevented a momentum killing turnover and allowed the Celtics to keep possession of the ball. Almost immediately, Brian Scalabrine, Kevin Garnett, Nate Robinson and Glen Davis all ran to their coach and bombarded him with chest bumps, hugs, and back slaps in recognition and appreciation for what he just did to impact the game. (Some also laughed since Doc seemed winded after his twenty foot sprnt!)We see that kind of emoton all the time when teammates hit a big 3, get a huge block, or make a great hustle play, but hardly ever is a coach on the receiving end of such "love." When Doc Rivers goes back and watches the game tape he is going to feel closer to his team than ever before. He will undoubtedly rewind that sequence over and over and it will eventually become one of his favorite plays of the season,. It's already one of mine!
No comments:
Post a Comment