Doc Rivers & The Celtics: The Worst Best Team Ever

I just finished watching the Celtics alternatively playing great and pathetic basketball in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals.  They are wildly frustrating to watch, as they alternate between great and awful seemingly at will throughout the year, playoffs, games, even in the span of two possessions. It’s classic for Boston fans – I believe that they’d much rather have a team as schizophrenic as the Celtics just in terms of being able to talk about them and obsess about them. A team like the Spurs wouldn’t be nearly so popular at this point in Boston – sure, they’re winning but where’s the excitement? In a town where the Sox are first, the Pats are second and the Celts third, just winning one title isn’t enough, they need to be interesting enough and agonizing enough that people follow them, and they’re certainly doing it right now. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if this series goes seven games again, and every extra game more fans tune in and watch.

Of course, this erratic style of play and wildly inconsistent effort falls on the coaching. I can’t believe the Celtics kept Doc Rivers as the coach after last season, because the only thing he seems to have going for him is that the players like him. I think the biggest problem that plagues Boston is the point guard play and that falls squarely on Rivers. Most of the playoffs Rajon Rondo has had wide open looks and dribbles around in and around the key uncontested but won’t shoot. His backup, Sam Cassell has the opposite problem because he doesn’t seem to understand that he doesn’t get credit for the assists as the point guard if the only pass on the entire play is from the guy inbounding the ball to him. Eddie House wasn’t the best ball handler, but he was more than capable as a distributor as Rondo’s backup until Cassell ended up in Boston. He is a more than suitable compromise between Rondo’s meek offensive presence and Cassell’s “big shot Sam”, because he would force the other team to guard him (where Detroit dares Rondo to shoot and doubles other the people, yet Rondo still won’t take the shot), or Cassell (who continues to play in the NBA only because people have such short attention spans and ignore 90% of his ball-hogging bad shot play for his once-in-a-while lucky three pointer).

I believe it’s mainly coaching more than anything else. Doc Rivers needs to get Rondo to have more confidence: after all, if Ray Allen can shoot as often as he does these playoffs and miss as frequently, why can’t he be an inspiration to Rondo? Rondo can’t possibly shoot worse than Allen who’s less than 39% from the field and 32% from the arc for the playoffs. I know they needed to get Allen in order for Garnett to agree to come to Boston, but I worry that he’s going to become more of a liability over the next few years. He can’t create his own shot and when he’s well defended he fires up off-balance threes without setting up. I can see Pierce or Garnett taking over games for years to come, but I can’t imagine Ray Allen lighting up anyone in the playoffs. 

Bad coaching is also the reason that Glen Davis gets blocked seemingly every time he gets the ball under the rim. I love the hustle, but the guy is shorter than most power forwards and centers he’s playing against and has the vertical leap of Tommy Heinsohn, and it’s hideous to watch him get blocked. He plays hard, and hopefully if he loses some more bulk he’ll be able to sneak his shots in around the defenders but this isn’t working thus far.

I think that Boston will get past Detroit, but I can’t imagine them doing anything against the Lakers. Fisher is a better offensive player than Cassell and a better point guard than Rondo. Kobe Bryant is much better than Pierce, Garnett is much better than Lamar Odom which might even things out, except Pau Gasol will run wild against Boston’s suspect interior defense and Ray Allen, barring him suddenly making his shots won’t force the Lakers to change their game plan.

Now, the Celtics can’t possibly fire a coach who wins 66 games and gets his team to the finals, so Doc Rivers will be back for another campaign next year, but the Celtics are in dire need of a better coach because this team as constructed will only be capable of winning a title for another two seasons.