Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Steve Bulpett-“In Terry, Doc Has Plenty of Reserve”
Despite struggling in the 2nd half, Jason Terry had 17 big points off the bench in Boston’s loss at San Antonio on Saturday. It’s clear he thrives in a reserve role, and Doc plans to keep him there:
“I want Jason off the bench,” said coach Doc Rivers. “You can see how well he’s playing now (15.0 points, 8-of-17 on 3-pointers in the last two games). He’s comfortable there, so we’re just going to keep starting Courtney (Lee) or whoever. But I like Jason off the bench. I don’t think it helps the starting lineup right now, but if you put him in the starting lineup, then our bench struggles. So it’s one or the other.
“Jason and Courtney are really great in the second unit together. They really move the ball. The last three or four games, our second unit has come in and made runs for us.”
Doc also knows, obviously, that consistency has been a huge issue for the Celts. Some nights, the bench has been clutch-getting big hoops and playing well. Others, not so much:
Still, Rivers would like to see more from his subs.
“I keep reading about our second unit or hear about it,” he said. “But we’ve got to do it consistently. I do think we’ve got the players, but we just haven’t had the performance.”
The other big complaint from fans and the coach is the team’s “mental toughness.” One minute, it seems they can be dialed-in, the next, we get costly turnovers, lapses on defenses and you’re ready to throw your tv out the window. Doc and the Captain see the same problems. What will they do to rectify them?
“It’s not even shape; it’s more mental conditioning to me, and we have to do a better job there,” he said before practice.
As for what he can do to fix that, Rivers said, “You work on habits. You’ve got to improve your habits. We see it on film. We’ll do it, and then we never sustain it. So until we do it consistently and then sustain it, then that means we’ve still got to work on it more.”
Paul Pierce agreed, saying, “It’s just mental. Guys have got to be smarter. Guys have got to be mentally in tune to what’s going on at all times, because every possession is huge for us. And that’s what we’ve got to do, have a better understanding that every possession counts.
The C’s also got a chance to watch the Bulls play on tv last night, and Doc said he enjoyed getting to hear Chicago commentator Stacey King give him some inside info on the other teams’ habits. Doc then chimed-in on what he thought the Bulls may hear if they watched a Celtics broadcast-specifically from Tommy Heinsohn:
Asked what opponents may get from hearing Tommy Heinsohn on Celtics broadcasts, Rivers laughed and said, “They get a lot of how great the officiating is around the league. And, ‘Run. RUN!’ ”
The rest of the links:
Herald: Spark plug ready to go |CSNNE: Looks can be deceiving |ESPN Boston: Celtics Mailbag
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