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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 17, 2010

Doc Rivers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Seven

Q. It is Rasheed, and what was the reasoning process?
DOC RIVERS: He's old. I figured I'd play the oldest guys. I just think it's a good combination with Kevin because of the size, with Bynum's size. I just think it's a better fit for us.
It also may give Rondo a chance to get loose early because of the spacing on the floor.

Q. You're already going a little smaller, do you anticipate going with a smaller lineup, maybe Nate and Rondo out there, just going a little faster without Perk out there?
DOC RIVERS: We're not going to change a lot. We could, and if the game dictates that we need to do that, we're ready to do it. Let's just say that we've worked on it. But we're not going to recreate the wheel tonight. We're going to be basically who we've been. Not having Perk, we may have to do it a little different, but not much.

Q. It looks like in this series the team which was more physical won the game, so how can the Celtics be more physical tonight against the Lakers?
DOC RIVERS: Well, then that would mean just being us, really. That's who we are. But it is true, I think the team that's won the rebounding has won the game for the most part.

Q. Where are you guys at emotionally? You suffered an emotional trauma having lost Perk and haven't had time to bounce back from it.
DOC RIVERS: We're here, and we'll be ready. It is a little emotional losing Perk. He's so important to our team. But he's still in the locker room, he just will not be in uniform. And I think our guys in some ways, they want to do it for him.
Listen, the game is going to dictate everything, and I don't know, but as far as our emotions, I think we're pretty much in check.

Q. Do you ever have any indications on whether your team is going to come out and be the team that plays tenacious defense, gets the 50/50 balls, does the little extra things or play like they did in Game 6?
DOC RIVERS: I don't think you ever know. I think you know at times when -- I think you can feel when they're not going to play well, and you're wrong there at times, as well, by the way, but I do think you can sense that. I can tell you I don't sense that. But as far as if they're going to play great or not, hell, I don't think anybody ever knows that.
They've been very focused, I will say that, over the last two days, and that for a coach is all you ask for.

Q. Is there anything that any of your guys, especially the more veteran guys, has said to you or in a team meeting?
DOC RIVERS: No. For a talkative group, they've been very quiet. We're getting through our shootarounds quicker the last two days. Our team meetings were quick because you didn't have to say, excuse me, please, can we -- none of that was done. That's usually a good sign for us.

Q. Obviously the focus is on winning the title tonight, but do you ever allow yourself to think about the fact that this is the last game for some of these players on this team with the Celtics?
DOC RIVERS: Yeah, you do, you think about that. I always allow myself to think about that. I don't want it to distract me, but it could be for some of the players on our team. You know, that's why you want them to do so well.
It's how they're going to be remembered around here, and so I think that's very important for them. So yeah, you do allow yourself to think about it, but then you kind of block it out and think more about it after the game.

Q. Thinking about this Finals and back to '08, I'm just curious how much are we seeing two teams that are sort of at their best, we're seeing the best right now, or are we seeing the two teams that have survived this grind?
DOC RIVERS: Well, I think whenever anyone in any sport makes it to The Finals, it's a combination of both. I think you see two teams that survived through the playoffs, and then in our case through the regular season. And then you're probably seeing the two best teams. Obviously, what we are record-wise, I know we have the 19th pick, I just found that out the other day, so that means there was eight teams or nine teams or ten teams better than us record-wise. But once the playoffs started, the two teams that are here were the two best teams and the two teams that should be here.

Q. Paul has talked a lot about starting off the game well, and I wonder if you could just talk a little bit about the importance of starting the game out well here in the 7th game.
DOC RIVERS: Probably more important for us than for them. They're at home, so they always have that on their side. Through the last two rounds for us the team that has won the first quarter has basically won the game. There might be one exception to that, I don't even know if that's true.
Yeah, clearly, I think both teams understand how important getting off to a good start -- for us it's very important. Can you win still? Yeah, but it's going to make it very tough to win.

End of FastScripts

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