We talkin' 'bout practice? Yup

For Celtics, Not Practicing Seems to Be Working

By PETER MAY
Published: June 6, 2012

BOSTON — One of the many responsibilities for Jeff Twiss, the Celtics’ media relations director, is updating reporters each day on the team’s practice times. In this postseason it has pretty much been a robo call: the Boston Celtics will not practice today.

The Celtics are now a victory from an implausible berth in the N.B.A. finals after their 94-90 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. They lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, three games to two, with Game 6 at TD Garden on Thursday night.

Their surprising success in the playoffs comes in inverse proportion to the times they have gathered for anything remotely resembling a conventional N.B.A. practice. Rajon Rondo joked last week that he thought the last time the team had a real practice was “probably like nine months ago.” He is not that far off.

The last time the Celtics practiced was before the start of the playoffs in April — and that was only because they were given an extra day between the end of the regular season and the start of their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks. They have done nothing in the playoffs but watch film and go through game plans on day-of-game shootarounds. It is Allen Iverson’s ideal situation.

“It’s been a while,” Rondo said. “Obviously, we’re in the Eastern Conference finals, so it hasn’t hurt us.”

Part of the reason for the Celtics’ laid-back approach is that the condensed playoff schedule leaves little time for practice, especially after a season in which the Celtics played 66 times in 124 days. Where once the N.B.A. would schedule first-round series that could last longer than the Olympic Games, this year the Celtics have pretty much played every other day since the postseason began.

They also were extended in their first two series, needing six games to eliminate Atlanta and the full seven to dispatch the Philadelphia 76ers. They had one day between the end of the Sixers’ series and the beginning of the Miami series — and that was a travel day.

With such a hectic schedule, combined with the age of the team and assorted injuries to key personnel, the decision to forgo practices was a no-brainer for Celtics Coach Doc Rivers.

“We’re just too old,” he said after the team fell behind, two games to none, to the Heat in the conference finals. “We’re tired and old and banged up. Honestly, I just look at it if I have a choice between the legs and the brains, I’m going to take the legs every single time. We need those. I don’t know what I could accomplish honestly by bringing them in.”

Rivers is not the only coach who has cut back on off-day workouts, but he may be the only one who has eliminated them. The Heat practiced before the start of the Celtics series — they had three days to prepare — and Oklahoma City and San Antonio had plenty of off days before they met in the Western Conference finals.

Another reason Rivers has chosen rest over practice is that many of the key Celtics players are nursing injuries. Even if he wanted to scrimmage, he might not have enough bodies to do so. Ray Allen has bone spurs in his right ankle; when he is not playing, he is resting. Paul Pierce hurt his left leg during a shootaround in the Atlanta series and would not be a viable practice candidate. Mickael Pietrus has knee and hamstring problems. Rondo has a cranky back. Kevin Garnett simply needs the rest because he is so emotionally involved in the game that he needs 24 hours just to disengage.

“We have to do whatever we need to do,” Rivers said. “Every team is individual. It’s not by choice. It’s by need.”

Wednesday was just another typical day for the Celtics in this atypical playoff season. They returned to Boston and went their separate ways. They will gather Thursday morning at their practice facility in suburban Waltham and watch film. Should there be a Game 7 in this series, Friday will be a travel day with a shootaround Saturday.

“One thing I have learned over the course of my time is that I’ve been with plenty of coaches that never gave you any days off,” Allen said. “Coach always felt like you had to be in the gym. Sometimes it was to the detriment of players’ bodies. At some point, you just break down.

“I think the season prepared us, having such a short time between games,” he continued. “We really have had to focus in on getting stuff we need to do in the shootarounds. Guys have responded well to it.”