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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v MAGIC

May 24, 2010

Doc Rivers

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game Four

Orlando Magic 96
Boston Celtics 92

Q. Doc, Stan Van Gundy was saying that at the end of regulation, as far as he's concerned, it was going to be anybody but Paul. Just what were you trying to do at the end of regulation?
DOC RIVERS: We didn't execute it at all, I can tell you that. Supposed to be Paul at the top with a pick-and-roll with Ray, and then the floor was supposed to be flat and spaced. When you look at it, half our team was standing next to Paul. The execution was so bad -- I thought we executed poorly throughout the game. We didn't make the next rotations, we didn't make the next pass.
It was amazing how bad we were execution-wise and still had a chance to win that game. That was amazing to me. You know, we felt if we could get a stop, tie score, take the last shot, we're going to get great space. And if they trap, because of our spacing, he would have somewhere to pass it to.
It was impossible to do that because it was so crowded.

Q. Still several chances to close the series out. Can you just describe the level of disappointment.
DOC RIVERS: Only one chance tonight, you know. We didn't play well. We didn't play with great energy. I thought they had far more energy tonight to start the game; I thought they jumped on us. I thought, you know, they played harder in the first half. They got all the loose balls. They won the 50-50 game. They made all the extra plays. And then from that point on we're fighting back to get back into the game.
I did like our second half energy and I liked their second-half defense. I didn't like anything about the first half.

Q. Doc, was part of the ball movement just guys trying to do it on their own?
DOC RIVERS: Yes, we fall into that at times. I thought everybody wanted to win the game. I thought everybody showed up to win the game. But I think at times when you have a chance to do something, close a series out or win a big game, each guy tries to do it themselves.
I didn't think we trusted each other tonight at all with the pass or with the execution. It happens.

Q. Doc, it was told to us that Rondo had a muscle spasm or something. Did that happen during the game? And do you think that affected him at all?
DOC RIVERS: I didn't even know. I knew early on he said he was fatigued. He told I think Eddie or something that. And maybe when he went in, that was the spasms he was talking about. Honestly, I didn't check. When I came in at halftime he said he was good. I don't really ask. If the trainer comes to you, then you know it's something serious. If he doesn't, you just let it go.

Q. Doc, can you talk about going back to Perk at the start of overtime. Did you think his injuries were affecting him tonight?
DOC RIVERS: No, Baby just had a good rhythm tonight. We just stayed with him. I thought to start the overtime Dwight was starting to dominate a little bit. So we wanted to get some size in there. The problem is on the other end right now, they're not guarding Perk, and with Rondo not going tonight, we needed another offensive player on the floor.

Q. Doc, do you think your team is too experienced and mature to listen to -- everyone else is already putting you in The Finals, talking about the Lakers, and you have to fight against that. Did your team hear any of that?
DOC RIVERS: I know they heard it. They had no choice but to hear it. I don't know if they believed it or -- we didn't play well. I know that. I hope that wasn't the reason for it. But it could have been.
The ball movement offensively is what bugs me more than anything. And then our lack of effort in the first half -- not effort, I just didn't think we had great energy in the first half defensively. Jameer Nelson I thought, even though he only had 23 points, I thought he dominated the game, this entire game. I thought he went wherever he wanted to on the floor. And I thought he made big plays for them. I also thought J.J. Redick, you can say he's their most consistent player in this series. He's been phenomenal against us. We keep losing sight of him. Two big threes in the second half by him I thought were huge.

Q. They kept staggering picks, setting multiple picks on Rondo. How do you counter that in the next game?
DOC RIVERS: They do it every game. That's nothing new. We've done a pretty good job up until tonight. It's not just Rondo, though. He has to fight through them better and get into the body better. But our bigs have to show better.
Again, I thought our execution on both ends was pretty poor.

Q. Obviously Dwight had a big game tonight. Was that more reflective of his energy and his will or some struggles you guys were having defensively?
DOC RIVERS: Let's give it to him. I thought he played hard. I thought the one adjustment they did make was they got the ball up the floor early. Especially in the first half. Second half I thought we got back and took it back away. In the first half he beat us down the floor, created mismatches and got deep.
Then he just worked the glass. He had a workman's game tonight. That's who he is.

Q. The same thing, something similar happened in the Miami series where, you know, everything kind of got built up around three, and then they lost four. Do you look at this one game or do you make sure nothing gets contagious --
DOC RIVERS: I don't know. You never know. Orlando is pretty good. The way I look at it now, we got to take one game at a time. But if they're looking at it, they have two home games and we only have one. We've just made it more difficult for ourselves. But listen, no one said this was going to be easy. We've made it tough now. So that's fine. We just have to get on the plane, go watch film and get ready for the next one. Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts

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