I'll admit it, I'm secretly hoping the Celtics lose Game 5 on Sunday, come back to Boston for Game 6 and win the title at the Garden. But for Doc Rivers, Sunday will be extra emotional because it's Father's Day. His Dad - Grady Rivers – died from cancer in November. During yesterday's media session Doc fought back the tears when questioned about his father.
“To go back to my dad, he’s just very important in my life,” Rivers said. “It’s still very difficult for me to talk about because I haven’t had a lot of time, really, to reflect on it. You know, it happened during the season unexpectedly. It’s very, very difficult. But I do think about it. I think about it a lot.”
It's obvious Doc would like nothing more than to win this thing Sunday in Grady's honor. This team is full of new fathers – Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Leon Powe - who now more than ever understand the parent/child bond and could use Doc's situation as extra motivation.
Moving on from the sappy stuff, the Celtics' health is the talk of the series now. This team will play its 107th game on Sunday night, tying an NBA record. I'm convinced Perk separated his shoulder Thursday night, but he's crazy enough to throw on a brace and play in Game 5. We're told Pierce tweaked his knee and rolled an ankle in Game 4. Rondo's bone bruise should be better, especially since he saw limited minutes Thursday and has the 2 1/2 days of rest.
I cannot get enough of the LA media coverage. There are two more blistering articles in the Times; Plaschke calling out Phil Jackson, and Chris Dufrense recaping all the great choke jobs in LA sports history.
And finally, I want to thank all of our loyal readers who made yesterday the highest web-traffic day in Red's Army history.
Today's Links: Globe – Ryan on LA Collapse | Shaughnessy Tries to be Witty (and fails) | How 2002 Comeback Helped C's | Herald – Tony Maz on Red Hot Ray | C's Fan Talks about Beatdown at Staples Center | Cops Bracing For C's Win | Daily Dime – Adande on Officiating Mess | Lakers Concession Speech | SI.com – 5 Things We Learned From Finals | Burns Game 4 Report Card
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