In a recent interview with John Thompson on ESPN 360, Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers made himself sound ridiculous speaking of the 2010 NBA Finals, and even made me think about a new way to characterize the Boston Celtics’ 2008 Championship.
“They [the Los Angeles Lakers] still have not beaten our starting five,” Doc Rivers said. “Our starting five against the Lakers starting five has a ring. Tell him [a Lakers fan] don’t forget that.”
Anyone with a computer, newspaper, or film-reel handy please tell Doc Rivers who played in the 2008 Finals because he seems to have forgotten.
The 2008 NBA Finals:
On the surface, LA Times writer Mark Medina’s article “Doc Rivers’ Suggestion that Kendrick Perkins’ Injury Resulted in Lakers’ 2010 NBA Finals Win Proves Unfounded” covers this in detail. His fantastic article left out one obvious fact: Doc Rivers’ statement is a lie.
Read it again. It’s very small, very minute, but he lies.
I have only one thing to say in response to Doc Rivers.
The Boston Celtics still have not beaten our [Los Angeles Lakers] starting five. Our starting five against the Celtics has a ring. Don’t forget that, Doc.
What Doc conveniently left out was that, in the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers did not have their two crucial pieces of their starting five. Trevor Ariza, a starter, was limited by injuries (played a whole 45 minutes in the playoffs) and Andrew Bynum, the starting center, did not play a single minute (in the playoffs or Finals).
Re-live the 2010 NBA Finals:
In 2008, the Celtics won their title against a less-than-healthy Los Angeles Lakers team.
Likewise, in 2010, the Lakers won their title against a less-than-healthy Boston Celtics team.
So, it makes no sense for Doc to get all high and mighty suggesting that somehow the 2010 Lakers’ title is tainted.
Honestly, the 2010 Celtics were, in fact, healthier than the 2008 Lakers. The Celtics only lost their starting center for 7 quarters, instead of the Lakers who lost Bynum for the entire series.
Frankly, Doc Rivers’ “undefeated starting five” argument is getting pretty tired. We’ve heard it before, and it’s proven itself a nice hypothetical argument, but unrealistic.
So, Doc, keep on making your “undefeated” argument while the champagne dries off of Ron Artest’s jersey. And remember this, Doc: the next time you want to make a blanket statement about the Lakers’ 2010 title, try, at the very least, to be accurate.
R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
