Goner wrote:The biggest issue I have with Doc this season is that he has taken a step back; way back. I don't know what happened to our pistol offense of last season, but this season we appear to be implementing an antiquated offense of the 90's and early 00's. The sole effort seems to be to pound the ball into the hands of our stars and hope that they can make something out of nothing. And, if they can, then, great! That is solid and replicable offense.
It's part of that, but not quite it. What I think's going on is, Doc's obsessed over the starless Revenge Of The Role Players season. He had no superstars, just role players, scrubs, G-Leaguers, rookies, overseas guys and bench players. He fed off of their hunger and decided to play with all heart and hustle, no game plan, just do the best you can, be a good person, and let the miracles take care of the rest. He wants a fairy tale ending, an impossible that will never be accomplished like somebody scoring 100 PTS a la Wilt Chamberlain (with visual evidence), winning as an 8th seed, or coming back from a 3-0 playoff series deficit. With superstars like Leonard and George, he doesn't have to worry, let superstars do the saving.
Isn't that previous sentence the very reason why Steve Ballmer brought in Jerry West in the first place?Goner wrote:I have seen what he can do when his back is to the wall (as evidenced last year), and hopefully his plans are to reinstate such (any) system.
What would you call "back against the wall"? One of these three things would have to happen:
1.
Being one game away from a 10-game losing streak. The last time Doc lost 10 in a row, he was fired immediately in Orlando. With the Clippers, he had a 9-game losing streak, and was one away from begin canned. What saved his job: beating the lottery team Hawks in 2017-18 season, Chris Paul's first year with Rockets after wanting out.
2.
Getting swept: Throughout his entire career, teams coached by Doc Rivers have
never been swept in the playoffs. In fact, in the 2012-13 season, his Celtics lost 3 in a row to the Knicks, constituting an automatic series victory. No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 playoff series deficit, yet Doc was determined to have his storybook ending by being first coach to pull off the miracle feat. Given the Knicks history of incompetence under James Dolan, it's only fitting that Boston would upset New York, especially since Knicks were 2nd and Celtics 7th, but all that got thrown out of the window because of Celtics having Doc Rivers.
3.
Malice At The Palace 2.0: Picture this: the Clippers have a horrid game, technical fouls pile up, they start drawing flagrant fouls. Pretty soon, some players are ejected. Then, one of the Clippers gets into a nasty brawl that brings back memories of the Knicks-Suns brawl of 1993. Game is called, Steve Ballmer is ashamed, admits to their past, and apologies for all the bad things they've done and concede to possibly forfeiting a whole season. They could have a case in saying Doc Rivers really didn't take his coaching job seriously, and decide to either can him now, or give him a "prove-it" moment, which circles back to the desire for a fairy tale ending. They might even deem that beating the Lakers in a playoff series will be a requirement to keeping his job.