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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v HEATJune 8, 2012Doc RiversMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. Doc, is this situation that you're in now similar to 2010, when you had kind of a clunker in Game 6 against the Lakers, you came back and played a pretty strong Game 7? Can you learn from that experience? COACH DOC RIVERS: Well, I don't know, honestly. I think every game, every series, everything is different. It's all individual. I mean, some of our guys obviously were in that game. They were in Game 6 and in Game 7. I think it's different. I thought Game 6 we played a clunker in L.A., but we had chances to win. There was no super effort in Game 6 like with LeBron. You know, I just think we have to view this as an individual game. Q. Hey, Doc, I missed the beginning and I don't know how much you've spoken already, but how much do you plan to potentially change your strategy on LeBron James after the big game he had in Game 6? COACH DOC RIVERS: Well, you'll see that when the game starts. We're not going to do much. We do what we do. Defensively, for the most part, we have to do it better. I thought obviously LeBron had a great game. I thought there were things we should have done better in the game with the way we were playing him, and we didn't do that. That's the first thing we have to correct. Then if we have to do something else, we'll do it. Q. Do you think this is a game that will go down in history as the game LeBron had, or do you think maybe it depends on whether they end up winning the series or not? COACH DOC RIVERS: Yeah, I think it all‑‑ listen, I think it all depends on Game 7. If obviously they win tomorrow, that Game 6 you'll remember. If we win tomorrow, the Game 6 will be just another great game. Q. Doc, what kind of effect did Chris Bosh have on the game last night, especially with Kevin Garnett? COACH DOC RIVERS: I don't know. I thought all their guys had an impact on the game. I thought Bosh played well. I thought Chalmers played exceptional. I thought Battier played great as well. I thought a lot of other guys played well for them. I don't know if he had that big of an impact on Kevin or not. We didn't do a great job of featuring Kevin, and we have to continue to do that. We have to do a better job of getting Kevin the ball in the right spots. Q. Did you hear that Manny Pacquiao postponed his fight until the game is over? COACH DOC RIVERS: I did. He's a Celtics fan. What do you expect? Pretty cool, though. That's cool. Q. Doc, I got on a couple of minutes late. I don't know if someone has already asked this, but after LeBron scored 45 in Game 6, do you have to alter your defense? Or do you stick to your game plan, thinking he probably won't score 45 again? COACH DOC RIVERS: We can't assume he's not going to score 45 again, but we have to do what we're supposed to do better first. And then if we have to make changes, we will. But LeBron played great, he made a lot of great shots. So all the credit goes to him. But there's a better defense that we can play, and it's the defense that we should have played. Q. And what defense is that? COACH DOC RIVERS: The one we always play. Q. So why do you think you didn't play‑‑ COACH DOC RIVERS: We just didn't. Bill, like I said last night, I don't think anybody intended not to play well. I just thought they hit first the entire game, I thought they instigated the entire game, and I thought they had us on our heels. When that happens, you get that type of defensive effort. Q. And Doc, one other thing, just what's it been like coaching the big four over the past five years? COACH DOC RIVERS: I'm not going to let myself go down that road. I would like to talk about that in two or three weeks from now. Q. Doc, the odds are usually against winning Game 7 on the road‑‑ COACH DOC RIVERS: Yeah. And? Q. What's the key to a victory when it's such a hostile environment in Game 7? What's the key to a victory? COACH DOC RIVERS: Staying within yourself. Not trying to do too much.  Each guy doing their job. I think everybody just has to pitch in. But no one has to do more or above what they usually do. If each guy does their job and you get your best team effort, that gives yourself a chance to win. Q. Doc, you have seen obviously Kevin play for years. When you see him last night when he's struggling from the beginning on his shot, do you alter anything as far as where he gets his looks? COACH DOC RIVERS: Yeah, we try to. I don't think we did a very good job with it. I was talking about it earlier. He really made the first post shot, and then he didn't get one for ten touches, I think I counted. I thought they threw him out of his rhythm. We threw him out of his rhythm. And all great scorers or great players are rhythmic. I didn't think we did a very good job of keeping him within the rhythm of our offense. Q. Doc, you touched on it last night a little bit about putting it to bed about LeBron in big games. Has it just gotten to the point with him that too much is never enough? COACH DOC RIVERS: Yeah. I mean, I said it last year. He's a great player. I don't know what else he can do. He does the right thing. When he makes the right pass and the guy misses the shot, he's criticized. When he forces a shot in a double team, he's criticized. It's the way it is for him, for whatever reason. He's competitive as heck. He's one of the most powerful players to ever play the game. And maybe it isn't enough. I don't know. Q. Do you recall another player, Doc, who has had to sort of live with that? COACH DOC RIVERS: No. Tiger over the last two or three years. Other than that, no one. No athlete that I can ever remember being under the scrutiny‑‑ definitely in basketball. I've never seen anyone under the scrutiny that LeBron James is under. Q. Doc, the way LeBron played the other night, do you kind of maybe have the attitude that even if he has another huge game in Game 7, you just need to slow down Wade and slow down some of the other guys, just make sure that not a lot of people have big games? COACH DOC RIVERS: Well, listen, if LeBron James has 45 and only misses eight or seven shots, it's going to be tough to win. If he has 45 and has to take 45 shots, that may give us a better chance to win, clearly. So obviously we have to guard him better first. But there's no doubt we have to guard them all better. All of their role guys have to be guarded better. Q. As a follow‑up question, how are you guys feeling as a team? Obviously two seven‑game series, playing every other day for a while, how are you guys holding up? COACH DOC RIVERS: We feel good. Listen, we're going to watch film today and walk through tomorrow, and we'll be ready at 8:30. There's no time now to think about being tired and all that stuff. We have to be ready to perform tomorrow when the bell is rung. Q. Doc, you talked a little bit about this last night, but you guys' ball movement and assists throughout the playoffs has gone down and down and gone even down more during this series. Is that just a matter of you guys not playing right? Is that Miami's defense forcing you to make tougher‑‑ COACH DOC RIVERS: I didn't hear the beginning of the question. I'm sorry. Q. You talked a little about ball movement last night, and over the course of this series you've had to struggle and your assist rate has gone down and down throughout the playoffs. I wanted to see what your thoughts are on that, in terms of is that Miami's defense forcing the (Indiscernible) or are you guys not playing the way you want to play? COACH DOC RIVERS: I think you have to give some of the credit to Miami. We've really actually scored pretty well in this series. Philly series and Atlanta series we struggled more to score than we have in this series. But clearly for us it's always the ball movement issue, people movement issue on our part. On their part, I thought they got into it last night. They owned our airspace the entire game. I thought they played with more force than us. And they took us out of our stuff. But I always think that's on us just as much as you have to credit them. Q. Doc, is there anything different from a Game 7 preparation more than a Game 5 preparation? COACH DOC RIVERS: Not much. What you don't want to do is overdo it. You know, the key is getting your guys ready as much as you can for the competition. You can't overthink it, but you have to give it a lot of thought, if you know what I'm saying. Q. Do you take anything from the previous six games? COACH DOC RIVERS: Yeah, yeah, you take a lot. You have a six‑game frame of work. You can look at every single game, which we'll do. You take your best from each of them and you try to piece them together into one Game 7. Q. Doc, I was wondering if you can talk about the problems of dealing with LeBron James in the half court generally creates defense? COACH DOC RIVERS: That he creates defensively? Q. Yes. COACH DOC RIVERS: Or for our defense. I didn't hear you. Q. Yes, for your defense. COACH DOC RIVERS: Obviously, it's more in the open court than in transition. I actually thought what he did last night were a bunch of early attacks. Even though it was in the half court, it was still early in the attacks where it hurt us. But in the half court, you know, he's just a powerful guy that can create his own shot. In the playoffs, as good as your stuff is with any team, the guys that can create their own shots makes it very difficult on you, because you're trying to not only stop their execution or their sets, but even when the set breaks down, you can always throw it to LeBron or Wade, and they can get a shot for you. And when they're going in, like last night, it makes it a lot tougher, obviously. Q. Hey, Doc, your quote about how you guys are packing for Oklahoma City, why did you declare that so openly? And did that conjure up images of Pat Riley in 2006 when they faced the Mavericks saying "one suit, one tie, one shirt," when they went to Dallas, and they only needed one game to win? COACH DOC RIVERS: Well, really, I think John Moore asked the question "What did you tell them?" What else am I going to tell them? It's the obvious. We are going‑‑ we had to pack. I wasn't really trying to give them a message. At that point I was just pretty much telling you like it is. We're all packed. Guys have a lot of luggage, and we're hoping we can use it. Q. Doc, your bench production has been sporadic this series. Can you paraphrase how you feel about the production you've got so far and what you're going to need tomorrow night from your bench? COACH DOC RIVERS: I think the bench is what it's been all year. I think for our bench, it depends on what you're looking at. If you're looking at offense, then, yes, right. If you're looking at defense, (Indiscernible). Our bench is a defensive bench. When they give us points, that's great. But when they come in with great energy and change the tempo of the game, they're having an impact on our team as well. And that's what we look for in our team. Q. Doc, just the fact that you guys had a Game 7 on the road against the Lakers, obviously in The Finals a few years back, does that help you prepare as a coach? I know dominated on the boards that game. Does it help you? COACH DOC RIVERS: I don't know. Listen, I've been in a lot of them. I just think you prepare the way you prepare. Obviously, in Game 7s, that means you have six games of great film to look at, and you can look at all the tweaks and changes that each team has made. But at the end of the day, you just got to go out and perform. You have to make shots, you have to rebound, you have to do all the things you've probably talked about in Game 1 of the regular season up. And you have to do it with an urgency. Q. Doc, anything you think you need to tweak or fine‑tune to stop LeBron in the seventh game there? COACH DOC RIVERS: Well, no, I don't. We're always prepared to do different things. Let me put it that way. But we don't feel like we need to match that. If during the game someone is going off, Wade or LeBron or Bosh or somebody else, we're ready to make a change if we have to. We have to do it our way first better, and then we'll find out what else we need to do. Q. Just as a follow‑up, just maybe a couple of variables on what you think you might need to adjust in your own game, not to give too much away, though, for the seventh game there? COACH DOC RIVERS: No, we don't talk much about that. You'll have to figure it out. You can ask me after the game, if we do anything. THE MODERATOR: Okay, Coach. Thank you very much for your time today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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