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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 10, 2010

Doc Rivers

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game Four

Los Angeles Lakers 89
Boston Celtics 96

Q. Doc, talk a little bit about your bench tonight, particularly Glen Davis, and just what he was able to bring for you guys tonight.
DOC RIVERS: Well, it was just their energy. Glen was fantastic. Posted him a couple times. But it was just their whole energy. I thought we were lacking that in that one stretch, and they came in, Nate -- Tony Allen was phenomenal tonight with his energy, Baby was phenomenal, Rasheed was unbelievable. I thought the entire bench unit with Ray, they were great. They kept the game simple for the most part.
Unfortunately it's probably our most emotional group when you have Nate, Tony and Rasheed on the floor at the same time. So the techs happen. That's the only thing we didn't like. We have a no fourth quarter tech rule, which was blown out of the water today. But other than that I thought our energy was absolutely terrific.

Q. The technicals you mentioned, what is your concern now with Rasheed now that he's in the same position Perk was?
DOC RIVERS: Well, I mean, it is what it is. I mean, you know, I hope they rescind that one because I thought he did a dance but he ran away. I didn't think he said anything. The dance was funny, and so I could see it, but I don't know. I just wish they hadn't given it to him. It is a concern. The Lakers know that. Somehow we're going to have to keep our composure. I was concerned, I don't know what quarter it was, it might have been the second quarter, might have been third with Gasol and Perk kept going back and forth, and that was actually one of the reasons I said, we've got to get him out, because you could see it, the double-technicals, it was about to come.
But listen, we've put ourselves in this situation, and we're going to have to play ourselves out of it.

Q. In the fourth quarter you were riding your bench for the first eight minutes and then you had the three starters at the scorers table and were ready to put them back in, and then --
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, I took them out of there. Told them to go sit down. It was a scoring matter for me. All I was doing was looking at the score. If it became a two-possession game, meaning two, three, so six points was my number, I told my coaches, I said at the six minute mark, six points is the number. If they get it to a two-possession game, got to go with one scorer at a time. My concern was with the bench, if we could get enough baskets to put the game away.
So we waited and waited and then once they got I think it was seven, we got Paul in and then he came in and made a big shot for us. That's what that was about.

Q. What did you see in your starters' faces when you motioned to come back?
DOC RIVERS: They were fine. We were cheering. This is a good team. I don't think guys really care, and that's what makes us -- that's why we're here, it really is. Hell, Rondo and all of them, they were begging me to keep guys in. "Don't take them out! Don't take them out!" It was great. That was the loudest I've seen our bench, and it was our starters cheering from the bench. I thought it was terrific.

Q. Can you talk about as far as defense on Kobe, is it similar to what you did against Wade, LeBron, where if they do what they do, that's fine, as long as everybody else doesn't go nuts you're happy with it?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah. We want to make it tough, too. I actually thought we made it tough. The guy is Kobe Bryant. He made some unbelievable shots. But I thought, again, we did a great job on everybody else, and we felt that in Game 3 we didn't do that. All the other guys really hurt us, and I thought our guys all kind of stayed focused on their man. They didn't get mesmerized by Kobe. We've done that a couple times where we're watching the Kobes and the Wades so much that everybody else is getting off. I thought our guys stayed pretty disciplined tonight.

Q. Have you guys stayed to your game plan going into the series, kind of stayed with what you wanted them to do against him?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah. You know, listen, he's going to have big games, and like I said in the series with Cleveland, we're going to have to win one of these games where Kobe goes off for a big night. And that may come in the next three. But we're still going to have to find a way to win that game.

Q. I know you probably turned a blind eye to the fourth quarter techs this time, but even when you didn't have momentum, it almost kind of fueled you in that quarter.
DOC RIVERS: Do you want me to tell them to get more?

Q. No, not more --
DOC RIVERS: They were playing with great emotion. Even Nate, that was the one I didn't like more than Rasheed's. We don't have to be tough, especially at whatever height you are. But that's who he is. He's an emotional player, and it's so easy for us. I'm sitting in a suit and tie and all of us to say, rein it in.
But they were playing well, they were happy, they were excited. So it is a fine line.

Q. It seems like you like Rasheed guarding Pau and that's been quite a battle all series. Can you talk a little bit about what you like about Rasheed in that match-up.
DOC RIVERS: Well, he's got size and length. Pau is just a great offensive player, and it's rare that he has to shoot over length. And he's physical, Rasheed is physical. So if we can keep that body on him, it's great. For right now it really comes down for Rasheed to how he's feeling, how his conditioning is working. You know, when he went down to the floor, I was thinking back out again.
But yeah, I do like that match-up.

Q. And it seems like in earlier games in the series, Pau looked a little intimidated at times but today he was pretty aggressive --
DOC RIVERS: I don't think -- I think Pau has been terrific. Listen, he's not going to back down. He's a champion. They're not going to back down from us. We're not going to back down from them. And that's how this series is going to be, and that's how it's been. That's good, though. It's good for all of us.

Q. Pierce was able to get started in the first quarter and then he made two big shots. Do you think maybe he's been able to turn a corner here?
DOC RIVERS: Oh, yeah, I was kicking myself in the third quarter. You know, I thought we went away from him a little too much. You know, I thought we were pressing a little bit as a team. There was a lot of dribbling. I thought everyone who was struggling was trying to get it going themselves, and I kept reminding them that Paul has it going, let's try to get it back to him.
You know, I didn't want to burn a time-out honestly, but if I could rethink it, I probably would have because I thought we got away from Paul too long. He had it going.

Q. In the start of the fourth quarter, why did you decide Ray with the subs? And did you think the starters just needed a rest because it was such a grind-it-out kind of game? And were you expecting the subs just to kind of maintain things?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, clearly, that's why you put them in. Clearly, just maintain the -- if they come out and the lead is the same or whatever it is, you're happy. But when they can extend it, you're excited.
The reason I went with Ray is because Paul had played that whole quarter, I took Ray out I think at the three or four minute mark. So I had already planned to bring Ray back in at the start of the quarter.
So far in this series when we've done that, they've gone small. They've taken guys out to match up. I just thought that's a good way of creating a match-up for us.

Q. Just how surprised were you when they extended that lead?
DOC RIVERS: I was happy. I don't know about surprised but I was happy.

Q. Can you remember another game where they've done that?
DOC RIVERS: We've done that during the season, but I don't know -- this is The Finals, so it's obviously different. Such a quality team. What I liked about it, for the most part it was against their starters, and that's what was impressive about it.

Q. I don't know if you saw the replays on the Jumbotron, but Baby after that three-point play in the fourth, so excited, the drool actually coming down?
DOC RIVERS: I've seen that action before. It's usually after we run in practice. (Laughter). I didn't see it but all the guys were talking about it, so I'm sure I'll get a good laugh tonight or this morning when I'm watching film.
You know, that's who he is, though. He has a lot of passion. I mean, there's times you love him and times he drives you nuts. But overall his heart is always in the right place, and you just take it.

Q. And about Rasheed, he left a little early to get back to the locker room and get some treatment. How bad is he right now?
DOC RIVERS: Well, we just didn't want him to pick that other tech up sitting on the bench (laughter).
No, it was tight. You could see him when he was walking off the floor. I asked him if he was okay, and he shook his head no. I thought, well, maybe this is a good time to send him to the back. Fortunately we have a couple days, so I think that will work in our favor.

Q. What exactly in your mind was behind Paul getting it going tonight?
DOC RIVERS: Well, I thought he was aggressive, and I thought we did a better job of going to him. The first play of the game we set up to go to him. He got fouled and you could see he was aggressive, he was going to drive tonight. I thought he drove tonight, and that's one of the things -- I even talked about it after the last game, we told him, boy, there were some great driving lanes for you, you've got to take them. So I thought he did that.
You know, again, we can't forget he is our best scorer, and I think at times we do that. I've got to do a better job there, and everyone does.

Q. Can you just talk about the first three games there was so much talk about the whistles and foul trouble. That didn't seem to be the issue in Game 4, and what that did for you guys in terms of being on your physical game.
DOC RIVERS: I think both teams -- this is an extremely physical game, but it was a clean game. There was some talking, but you know, whatever. I just thought both teams were allowed to play, and it was terrific. It was good basketball. You know, there's frustration all the time, but I thought overall it was a really well played game. It was a physical game.

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