Celtics Title Town

"[The team is] probably behind," Rivers said when asked about the team's overall progress. "We have a great first half in Washington, that is what we needed to see. But I didn’t think we sustained it. I just think everyone is starting to figure out that, to be a good team, you have to actually work at it. And it’s hard work. You just don't show up because you have good names on a piece of paper and become good. You have to work at it, and you have to work hard at it. And it’s exhausting."

I'm sorry if I come off a bit cynical in this post. But I don't know if it's Doc's poor choice of words or what. But I find what he says alarming. "I just think everyone is starting to figure out that, to be a good team, you have to actually work at it."  How can a veteran team think that way? I look at Doc, and say do your job. Is Doc pushing the right buttons, is he maximizing his guys, or is he over maximizing guys. Doc needs to look at himself at times. I'm a Doc fan, and I don't want to come off like I want him to lose his job, but honestly it's his job to have this team ready. 

Of course the players have to put in the effort. They have to execute what Doc wants. But their are so many issues that repeat themselves year after year. Rebounding to pick one on the top of my head. Rivers wants to see better conditioning from his team, particularly after how the team seemed a bit fatigued down the stretch of Saturday's game in Washington. How is this team not conditioned? They had a training camp, and I don't hear any other team working on conditioning. I'm concerned about the Celtics being a paper tiger.

I do agree with Doc when he says the C's played well in the first half against the Wizards. It was actually just the first quarter. They gave up over 30 points in the second quarter. But the defense was awesome. They only gave up 12 points in the first, and they need to build off of that first quarter. Apprehension of what’s to come, experience of things past. Our fear of re-occurrence, quite a shadow it can cast. Enough to always rob the joyful light of something new.