Celtics coach Doc Rivers is still smarting from his NBA Finals loss to the Lakers, and rightfully so. Last Friday, he joined ESPN 980 in Washington DC, as a guest on the John Thompson Show. During his interview, touched on a variety of subjects, ranging from his Celtics to LeBron James.
↵However, when it came to the 2010 NBA Finals, Rivers had this to say:
↵↵↵“Number one you gotta congratulate them because they won. They still have not beaten our starting five. Our starting five against the Lakers starting five has a ring. Tell him don’t forget that. We will be back strong and Perk (Kendrick Perkins) will be there next year if there’s a game seven.â€
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Yes, it was unfortunate for the Celtics that their center, Kendrick Perkins, missed Game 7. But Rivers remembers a different 2008 than I do. In 2008, the Celtics won the title over the Lakers, but Rivers need only look to the center position again, to find that Andrew Bynum played a grand total of zero minutes in the 2008 Finals. In fact, Bynum was out that year since January.
↵So in fact, the Celtics and their “starting five” have not beaten the Lakers “starting five” either. Perhaps Rivers and Danny Ainge should concentrate on acquiring more washed up O’Neals to go with Shaq and Jermaine, and less time whining about being beaten. I hear Tatum O’Neal is available.