Doc to C's: Know Your Role

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4699303/doc-to-cs-know-your-role


On one hand, Doc is always telling players to "play hard, play loose and things will happen for you", but he also makes it very clear what they are expected to deliver for the team. For example, with Sully, he told him in the pre-season "you're not going to score a lot because we've got a lot of scorers on this team, but you have to rebound".

After a very professional win over a very good Thunder team, Doc is making sure they focus on the specifics. I love Doc. He knows how and when to loosen them up and he knows how and when to tighten them up. Now, he's saying "feel good about the win, but remember your job and don't let the emotions carry you away". And on Friday's shootaround, he did it publicly, in front of all the players, for each player, no exceptions. No wonder players whose careers have been so good they're heading into the HOF, like KG, will run through a wall for him. He makes things clear, he expects you to do your job and he doesn't set unfair or unreasonable expectations.

The man is a born leader.



BOSTON -- Following their 108-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder
Friday night, the Celtics didn't want to get too far ahead of
themselves. It was a solid win -- perhaps the best of the season -- but
they were quick to note that not building off of it moving forward would
diminish its significance. A loss to the Magic on Sunday, for example,
would take some of the shine off of a quality win.


"We've got to do it continuously," said Rajon Rondo. "We can't have a
win like this and show up in Orlando and give a dud. So, our main focus
is trying to continue to build off of this win, stay with the
fundamentals and try to get a win in Orlando."



Part of that building process -- and the consistency that the C's
hope will come with it -- centers on the proper execution of roles. Each
player has one, some being more distinct than others. But that was one
of Boston's best weapons against the Thunder, having the right guys
contribute in the right manner.



The players credit head coach Doc Rivers, who apparently stressed
the importance of roles during the team's Friday morning shootaround.
Rivers didn't discuss the meeting after the game -- the players alluded
to it after his press conference was already over -- but he apparently
lined up his entire team and, man-by-man, went down the line and
reasserted to everybody what their respective roles are. It was a
sequence that really resonated with the players and it showed on the
court Friday night.



"Each guy is finding their role," said Rondo. "Doc had a speech
today about guys' roles and I think tonight showed what guys took from
it. A lot of guys responded well from it. You can go another way, but
everyone in this locker room took it very well."


Kevin Garnett was quick to echo Rondo's thoughts.


"Doc kind of set us aside as a group today and kind of broke us down
as a team and what he was expecting from each individual, and I thought
it was very helpful," he said. "It kind of clarified the air on guys'
responsibilities, roles, etcetera. And we came out and played like it.
There wasn't any hesitation on anything, guys played with confidence,
played together, and there's always that question mark of consistency,
so we have to see if we can ride this momentum for a while.



"Doc sitting us down, we didn't really do a lot at walkthrough
today, very, very simple, but letting each guy know what he expects out
of him, their role on this team and how consistent you have to be with
that role. I thought it carried over to guys understanding tonight,
playing with energy, having that clarity to what coach wants from you,
and I thought it totally reflected in some defensive energy."



Orlando might be the right kind of test for the Celtics Sunday
evening. Boston hasn't exactly wowed in its victories over lesser
opponents this season, and the kind of effort displayed on Sunday could
say more about this team than Friday's victory did. Can Boston harness
the effort it took to knock off one of the Western Conference elite and
post a convincing win over a team of a lower caliber?



Players adhering to their roles could play the most significant factor.



"Doc made that a point [Friday] at shootaround," said Jason Terry.
"He went to a man, down the line. He reiterated our roles, what he
expected out of us on a nightly basis, and tonight you've seen it.
Everyone came in tonight and contributed, from the last man on the bench
to the first, and that's what we need. Going forward, we need that
consistently every night."




bob



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