The last time a superstar couldn't go against the Celtics, the C's seized the opportunity and took a huge dump on the Garden floor. So Doc, being a smart guy, realized that he couldn't give his guys another excuse to come out flat. So when Carmelo Anthony couldn't go because of an issue with his knee… Doc just didn't tell anyone.
“I think coach really made a point of that,” Paul Pierce said of Rivers’ Melo message before the game. “He really didn’t want to tell us that Carmelo wasn’t playing, I think he waited to the very last second cause he went over the game plan, so we took that to heart and went out there and just tried to establish ourselves in the first quarter. I think like Kevin said we’re on a roll defensively and that’s what were trying to do to start the game”
Smart move. The C's came storming out to a huge lead… which is when I turned to Chuck and said "if this keeps up, we might see Gino in the 3rd quarter."
Some might see it as sad that you've got to hide little things like that from a group of professional basketball players. You'd think that hearing that Melo is out would be enough to make these guys just want to lay waste for 25 minutes and then let the reserves take it from there.
But the reality of it all is that's not the case. And I don't give a damn if Doc has to promise them Brooklyn Decker is waiting for them in the locker room after the game if they win. Do what you gotta do, Doc.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
