Joe Bugel has seen a lot in his 30-plus years of coaching in the NFL. At 68, he still has immense energy and passion for the game.
Below is some great insight from Coach Bugel, who has two Super Bowl rings:
On veteran players:
"I like veteran guys, I really do. They're smart. They've been in the system. You can't worry about age. It's how their health is and how they can play. Some of these young kids are up-down, up-down. A lot of those young guys get saucer eyes when they face an all-pro opponent."
On teaching:
“Teach what a player can't do. Don't keep working on things he's great at. Learn what his weakness is and beat on that every single day."
On team chemistry:
"I think our team realizes that talent doesn't just win; you've gotta have chemistry. You can't build chemistry. The players have to do that.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A STAFF TOGETHER
According to Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Whisenhunt:
“We felt like we made progress last season and if you have a change in your staff you’re going to lose some of that, because you’re trying to catch the new coaches up to speed. Now as a group, we know the corrections we made last year and the process we went through last year. It’s invaluable. You build a level of trust with your team. It makes things smooth, instead of arguments and disagreements.
Coaches who are passionate are always going to have opinions, and sometimes you are going to butt heads, but the ability to be able to do that and come to a resolution as to what the best thing to do and move forward is the product of a coaching staff that has good chemistry.”
A COACH WHO WAS LIKE A PROFESSOR
Fifty years ago, a coach by the name of Bud O'Meara led Stamford (Conn.) High School to consecutive state football titles, going 18-0.
I saw a note about Coach O'Meara, who died recently at the age of 90, and was impressed by what a colorful life he lived. Some highlights:
He attended Notre Dame on a football scholarship, playing for coach Elmer Layden, one of the Four Horsemen. He was also a member of ND's basketball and gymnastics teams. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1941 and went on to earn a Master's degree from Fairfield University.
After college, he served as a Lieutenant in the Navy, flying off battleships. He earned the Air Medal for his combat duty.
After World War II, he joined the staff at Stamford High, where he'd gone to school, taking over as head coach in 1958. In addition to coaching football, he also coached American Legion Baseball teams for almost a decade, winning five Connecticut State Championships, and was a scout for the NY Giants.
Here's how those who knew him described him:
"He was a great organizer. He broke down every element of the game and had everyone practice in groups rather than as a team. He was also a great motivator. He had respect for the players and never raised his voice, but he was a great disciplinarian and there was no fooling around while he was coaching. 'Buddy' was a very principled man and a man you wanted to follow. He was a great mentor for me."
"He was very precise about everything. He was a perfectionist. Coach O'Meara was stern, but not vociferous, but you knew he meant business at all times."
"He was like a professor. He went over all the little details. He was always encouraging and explained how to do the right thing as opposed to what you did wrong."
"He gave the coaches the independence to do what they had to do with the offense or defense or special teams. He was a character builder and had strong motivational techniques."
8.30.2008
8.26.2008
HOW IMPORTANT IS SCOUTING?
Perhaps the biggest change behind the scenes that shows just how seriously the Americans are taking the competition involves the evolution and sophistication of their scouting department.
There are three decorated N.B.A. scouts on USA Basketball’s staff.
They have compiled a 37-page report on the Australians. They obsess over basketball minutiae like how often a player goes to his left, who a team’s defensive weak links are and what are the different options on a set play.
They also give a detailed report on each player. For example, Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko has a penchant for slipping screens and sealing his man in international play. Kirilenko is more aggressive at the Olympics than he is in the N.B.A.
After hop-scotching to Puerto Rico, Greece, Spain, China and Japan the past three years, they are not in China to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
From all the information they send over, the Duke staff makes a report that is the front and back of a sheet of paper, which is handed out to the team.
“I think one of the things Tony Ronzone gives us is a feel for players,” Wojciechowski said. “There’s one thing to understand what a team is trying to run, or a guy goes left more than right. Tony gives us a knowledge of a guy’s history. Is he the heart and soul of a team? Is he the guy who takes the big shots?”
There are three decorated N.B.A. scouts on USA Basketball’s staff.
They have compiled a 37-page report on the Australians. They obsess over basketball minutiae like how often a player goes to his left, who a team’s defensive weak links are and what are the different options on a set play.
They also give a detailed report on each player. For example, Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko has a penchant for slipping screens and sealing his man in international play. Kirilenko is more aggressive at the Olympics than he is in the N.B.A.
After hop-scotching to Puerto Rico, Greece, Spain, China and Japan the past three years, they are not in China to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
From all the information they send over, the Duke staff makes a report that is the front and back of a sheet of paper, which is handed out to the team.
“I think one of the things Tony Ronzone gives us is a feel for players,” Wojciechowski said. “There’s one thing to understand what a team is trying to run, or a guy goes left more than right. Tony gives us a knowledge of a guy’s history. Is he the heart and soul of a team? Is he the guy who takes the big shots?”
THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
"Leaders provide direction, structure activities, share information, encourage participation, promote positive relationships, and support and encourage members."
Leaders must provide a vision for the team and have goals for the team to strive for:
"To reach the highest levels of performance, team leaders should ensure that members have goals that motivate them. Furthermore, the highest performing teams are driven by a vision of the future to which the team aspires. Team leaders who can articulate a vision for their teams can create passion and inspire exceptional performance. While goals are normally specific and measurable (often expressed numerically), a vision is a vivid picture of something exciting that a team can achieve. The kind of vision that energizes a team is a vivid picture of the future that's ambitious and exciting."
Leaders must provide a vision for the team and have goals for the team to strive for:
"To reach the highest levels of performance, team leaders should ensure that members have goals that motivate them. Furthermore, the highest performing teams are driven by a vision of the future to which the team aspires. Team leaders who can articulate a vision for their teams can create passion and inspire exceptional performance. While goals are normally specific and measurable (often expressed numerically), a vision is a vivid picture of something exciting that a team can achieve. The kind of vision that energizes a team is a vivid picture of the future that's ambitious and exciting."
SENSE OF URGENCY
John Kotter's new book "Sense of Urgency,"
Below is the review…
For anyone who is trying to drive change within a team or organization, Kotter claims the key is "igniting a sense of urgency."
According to the review, "Complacency is the culprit. We stick with the status quo. We shy away from new opportunities and choose to ignore huge risks. We live off the fumes of past success." What's needed is what Kotter describes as a "gut-level determination to move and win now. To do something important today."
Kotter has said that the biggest mistake people make when attempting to create real change is failing to create "a high enough sense of urgency among people to set the stage for making a challenging leap into some new direction."
"It all starts with urgency -- no matter the change effort, if a sense of urgency is low and complacency is high, everything else becomes more difficult. Complacency is more common than we think, and often is invisible to the people involved."
Kotter's advice:
1. "Create a sense of urgency by aiming for the heart first and head second. Feelings are more influential than thoughts. Emotion trumps logic. It's worth remembering that Martin Luther King Jr. didn't have a strategic plan. He had a dream. Behaving with passions, conviction, optimism, urgency and a steely determination will trump an analytically brilliant memo every time."
2. Bring in outsiders who can offer a different perspective and provide a candid assessment of your team's or organization's strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, send members of your team out to see what others are doing that works.
3. "Clear the decks. A crowded appointment diary is one of the great enemies of urgency, Kotter says. Scrap low-value meetings and don't let people delegate problems up to you."
4. Finally, when necessary, get rid of the "No-Nos" on your team or in your organization. "These are the wet blankets who kill urgency, crush new ideas and discredit anyone who tries to break with the status quo.”
If you've ever joined a team or organization that is sort of coasting or on "cruise control," you know how difficult it is to get people out of their comfortable routine and get them excited about a new vision, especially if they've had some success doing it "their way." It's even harder to drive change from the bottom up, i.e., without the support of others higher up in the organization.
Below is the review…
For anyone who is trying to drive change within a team or organization, Kotter claims the key is "igniting a sense of urgency."
According to the review, "Complacency is the culprit. We stick with the status quo. We shy away from new opportunities and choose to ignore huge risks. We live off the fumes of past success." What's needed is what Kotter describes as a "gut-level determination to move and win now. To do something important today."
Kotter has said that the biggest mistake people make when attempting to create real change is failing to create "a high enough sense of urgency among people to set the stage for making a challenging leap into some new direction."
"It all starts with urgency -- no matter the change effort, if a sense of urgency is low and complacency is high, everything else becomes more difficult. Complacency is more common than we think, and often is invisible to the people involved."
Kotter's advice:
1. "Create a sense of urgency by aiming for the heart first and head second. Feelings are more influential than thoughts. Emotion trumps logic. It's worth remembering that Martin Luther King Jr. didn't have a strategic plan. He had a dream. Behaving with passions, conviction, optimism, urgency and a steely determination will trump an analytically brilliant memo every time."
2. Bring in outsiders who can offer a different perspective and provide a candid assessment of your team's or organization's strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, send members of your team out to see what others are doing that works.
3. "Clear the decks. A crowded appointment diary is one of the great enemies of urgency, Kotter says. Scrap low-value meetings and don't let people delegate problems up to you."
4. Finally, when necessary, get rid of the "No-Nos" on your team or in your organization. "These are the wet blankets who kill urgency, crush new ideas and discredit anyone who tries to break with the status quo.”
If you've ever joined a team or organization that is sort of coasting or on "cruise control," you know how difficult it is to get people out of their comfortable routine and get them excited about a new vision, especially if they've had some success doing it "their way." It's even harder to drive change from the bottom up, i.e., without the support of others higher up in the organization.
KOBE - THE OLYMPICS
Every game, Bryant has been the first player in a defensive stance, the first guy guarding the opponent in the backcourt, squatting and straining alone in front of his four teammates who have no choice but to imitate him and make it their mantra.
"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."
The players who once shunned him now actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.
Every game, he's the player pointing to other players, directing them on both sides of the court, counseling them, cheering them.
"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film and talks basketball all the time."
"We're good friends, so none of what he does surprises me," said center Carlos Boozer.
The loner has become an embraced leader, and you could see it again Friday in a 101-81 rout of defending Olympic champion Argentina.
Before the game, the handful of players who had competed on the embarrassing 2004 Olympics team in Athens pleaded with them for revenge.
Bryant listened, and came out crazy.
He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.
He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong battle.
"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Chris Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."
It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.
It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring.
"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."
Notice something interesting about that sentence?
How many times does a teammate compliment Bryant on something that doesn't involve numbers? Even when his Lakers teammates talk about how Bryant won't let them lose, they are talking about his scoring.
As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.
He is only the third-leading scorer on the team, at 14.3 points a game. He ranks fourth in steals. He ranks sixth in assists. Eighth in rebounding.
It's not about the numbers. It's about the perception.
Notice something interesting about this column?
As recently as a year ago, you couldn't write a story about Kobe Bryant's impact on a team without talking to Kobe Bryant. His teammates never had much to say.
This time, though, there are no Bryant quotes. There is not enough room. His teammates said plenty.
"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."
The players who once shunned him now actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.
Every game, he's the player pointing to other players, directing them on both sides of the court, counseling them, cheering them.
"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film and talks basketball all the time."
"We're good friends, so none of what he does surprises me," said center Carlos Boozer.
The loner has become an embraced leader, and you could see it again Friday in a 101-81 rout of defending Olympic champion Argentina.
Before the game, the handful of players who had competed on the embarrassing 2004 Olympics team in Athens pleaded with them for revenge.
Bryant listened, and came out crazy.
He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.
He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong battle.
"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Chris Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."
It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.
It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring.
"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."
Notice something interesting about that sentence?
How many times does a teammate compliment Bryant on something that doesn't involve numbers? Even when his Lakers teammates talk about how Bryant won't let them lose, they are talking about his scoring.
As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.
He is only the third-leading scorer on the team, at 14.3 points a game. He ranks fourth in steals. He ranks sixth in assists. Eighth in rebounding.
It's not about the numbers. It's about the perception.
Notice something interesting about this column?
As recently as a year ago, you couldn't write a story about Kobe Bryant's impact on a team without talking to Kobe Bryant. His teammates never had much to say.
This time, though, there are no Bryant quotes. There is not enough room. His teammates said plenty.
8.21.2008
DWAYNE WADE - DEFENSIVE PRESSURE
*(Dough Collins kidded you about your defense and this will make you have to be a year-round defender with the Heat. How much will this translate to the NBA):
"I told him for one thing, I play only 17 minutes a game with Team USA. With the Heat I play 40 (minutes), two totally different things. My job with the heat is totally different...It's about being smart and getting the right guys on your team that can help. I wouldn't be able to put the type of energy into defense on this team if I didn't have anybody to come in. I can go hard for 15-17 minutes and know that Kobe Bryant is going to come in and Deron Williams is going to come in and those guys are going to keep the pressure up."
"I told him for one thing, I play only 17 minutes a game with Team USA. With the Heat I play 40 (minutes), two totally different things. My job with the heat is totally different...It's about being smart and getting the right guys on your team that can help. I wouldn't be able to put the type of energy into defense on this team if I didn't have anybody to come in. I can go hard for 15-17 minutes and know that Kobe Bryant is going to come in and Deron Williams is going to come in and those guys are going to keep the pressure up."
8.20.2008
Random Basketball Notes
A few observations I must share......
1. Players need to perfect the "Jump-Stop"
2. There is not enough emphasis on proper shooting
3. We need to teach players how to get to the rim quickly with one dribble
4. Basketball IQ is not being stressed enough
5. Footwork and Agility are essential so please don't underestimate the value and importance of training
6. Remember...if you're not good at something .....it's "Because You Don't Practice Enough!!"
1. Players need to perfect the "Jump-Stop"
2. There is not enough emphasis on proper shooting
3. We need to teach players how to get to the rim quickly with one dribble
4. Basketball IQ is not being stressed enough
5. Footwork and Agility are essential so please don't underestimate the value and importance of training
6. Remember...if you're not good at something .....it's "Because You Don't Practice Enough!!"
BRITISH CYCLIST CHRIS HOY
Below is what Chris wrote after he won three gold medals at the Olympics...
I am physically and mentally drained.
The main emotion this morning is less exhilaration and more a mix of relief and exhaustion.
To finally get it all finished is a wonderful feeling.
I can pinpoint times in the last four years when I've gone through real suffering.
Certain training sessions I've done have been simply horrendous. The only thing that gets you through is the thought of the Olympics and the gold medal.
During the competitions I would visualise those sessions and remind myself of everything I've gone through.
If I'd even missed one training session, I would have lined up with doubt and fear in my mind. What would happen if I lost the gold by one thousandth of a second, because there was a session I skipped or didn't give my all to?
Instead, I lined up here knowing no-one had trained harder than me, and that gave me enormous confidence.
It's a really strange feeling today. Every day for as long as I can remember I've woken up thinking about nothing else but the Olympics. It feels so weird telling myself that I don't have to any more.
I should be able to switch off, now that it's all done, but of course I can't.
The habits are too ingrained.
I've got the three gold medals next to me now.
I am physically and mentally drained.
The main emotion this morning is less exhilaration and more a mix of relief and exhaustion.
To finally get it all finished is a wonderful feeling.
I can pinpoint times in the last four years when I've gone through real suffering.
Certain training sessions I've done have been simply horrendous. The only thing that gets you through is the thought of the Olympics and the gold medal.
During the competitions I would visualise those sessions and remind myself of everything I've gone through.
If I'd even missed one training session, I would have lined up with doubt and fear in my mind. What would happen if I lost the gold by one thousandth of a second, because there was a session I skipped or didn't give my all to?
Instead, I lined up here knowing no-one had trained harder than me, and that gave me enormous confidence.
It's a really strange feeling today. Every day for as long as I can remember I've woken up thinking about nothing else but the Olympics. It feels so weird telling myself that I don't have to any more.
I should be able to switch off, now that it's all done, but of course I can't.
The habits are too ingrained.
I've got the three gold medals next to me now.
8.19.2008
GRANT HILL
In a SportsIllustrated interview with Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill, Ben Reiter asked Hill many questions with the first being why he took less money to play for the Suns:
Hill liked that the Suns hadn’t won the championship. He liked Mike D’Antoni’s style of play, and he likes the idea of playing with Steve Nash. Not once did he mention money. That's because money wasn’t the issue.
The second question was how Hill has changed since he came into the NBA in 1994 and his answer was pretty interesting.
“When I was young, it was all one pace, attacking. I wanted to dunk on everybody - that's the SportsCenter culture we’ve been brought up in. Now, I understand it’s about playing the angles and changing your pace. I’m a lot more efficient now."
Hill liked that the Suns hadn’t won the championship. He liked Mike D’Antoni’s style of play, and he likes the idea of playing with Steve Nash. Not once did he mention money. That's because money wasn’t the issue.
The second question was how Hill has changed since he came into the NBA in 1994 and his answer was pretty interesting.
“When I was young, it was all one pace, attacking. I wanted to dunk on everybody - that's the SportsCenter culture we’ve been brought up in. Now, I understand it’s about playing the angles and changing your pace. I’m a lot more efficient now."
DOC RIVERS
The groundwork for Doc Rivers' finest hour was laid long before the Celtics staged their improbable comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Thursday night. Boston not only obliterated a 24-point second-quarter deficit, they also ripped a gaping hole in the mystical reputation of L.A.'s decorated coach, Phil Jackson, who may have won nine championships but has been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Rivers in this series.
In the midst of Boston's stunning Game 4 turnaround, Rivers calmly instructed his players to ignore the score and recoup their composure one basket -- and one defensive stop -- at a time.
Rivers gambled and won by implementing a small lineup, putting reserves James Posey and Eddie House on the court during crunch time. The Celtics spread the floor, dared the Lakers to double-team them, and correctly discerned when to make the extra pass and when to take it hard to the hole.
Doc's newly anointed status as the resident genius in the series is both amusing and irritating to his players, some of whom witnessed their coach suffer through a horrific season in 2006-07.
His professional life was hanging in the balance. Ownership was restless, and unhappy with his decision to leave his family in Orlando rather than move it to Boston. Rivers was under constant scrutiny from the media.
Doc's father, Grady Rivers, reminded him after each mounting loss of his responsibility to his players.
"He told me, 'Be consistent,''' Rivers said. "If nothing else, they must know what to expect from you.''
As Boston's dream season has unfolded, Doc Rivers has privately struggled to balance the jubilation of his lifelong dream with the devastation of losing the person he aches to share it with the most.
Grady Rivers died after a brief illness in November, in the infancy of Boston's 66-win season.
The Celtics were on the road in Toronto at the time, and Rivers told his team at a morning meeting. He then flew to Chicago to be with his mother, Betty, certain he had successfully concealed his considerable anguish.
"Nah, you could see his pain,'' Pierce said. "I felt for him. I know how much his Dad meant to him.''
It has been a long year for the coach of the Boston Celtics. Rivers has had no time to mourn his father, no time to confront the sadness and grief that seizes him without warning.
If only Grady Rivers could have seen Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, all three potential Hall of Famers, nodding intently as their coach laid out instructions during that unfathomable Game 4 comeback.
It was a marked departure from 2004, when Pierce was so disenchanted with Doc's message he often stood apart from the team huddle, looking anywhere but at his coach.
Rivers vowed to play up-tempo basketball and told Pierce he expected him to commit to that style. On the occasions he didn't, Boston's best player found himself stewing on the bench. Pierce refused to buy into Rivers' motivational tactics and scoffed at the coach's habit of slipping inspirational notes under the hotel doors of his young players.
"Kind of college-y,'' Pierce sniffed at the time.
Yet Pierce couldn't help but notice in the months ahead that his shooting percentage was up and his turnovers were down, just as Doc predicted. He had to admit the notes seemed to motivate the young guys. He didn't always agree with his coach, but over time, he learned to accept his methods.
"I guess you could say we came to an understanding,'' Pierce said.
They are one game away now, in part because of how successfully Rivers has utilized his bench. P.J. Brown, Leon Powe, Posey and most recently House have made critical contributions at key junctures, and veteran Sam Cassell says that's no accident.
He points to an April 12 game in Atlanta, when the Celtics' season was winding down and Boston had already locked up home-court throughout the playoffs. The Celtics' starters looked sluggish and were down by double digits when Rivers motioned for his reserves.
"So we're about to go out there for the fourth quarter and Doc grabs us and says, 'Now let me be clear. I expect you to win this game,''' Cassell said. "You should have seen the young fellas. He won them over, right there. His message was, 'This is important. You are important.'''
It's easy to sell that to a team on the brink of greatness. Yet point guard Rajon Rondo maintains the message has always been the same.
"Doc is the exact same coach now as he was last year when we were losing all those games,'' he said.
In the midst of Boston's stunning Game 4 turnaround, Rivers calmly instructed his players to ignore the score and recoup their composure one basket -- and one defensive stop -- at a time.
Rivers gambled and won by implementing a small lineup, putting reserves James Posey and Eddie House on the court during crunch time. The Celtics spread the floor, dared the Lakers to double-team them, and correctly discerned when to make the extra pass and when to take it hard to the hole.
Doc's newly anointed status as the resident genius in the series is both amusing and irritating to his players, some of whom witnessed their coach suffer through a horrific season in 2006-07.
His professional life was hanging in the balance. Ownership was restless, and unhappy with his decision to leave his family in Orlando rather than move it to Boston. Rivers was under constant scrutiny from the media.
Doc's father, Grady Rivers, reminded him after each mounting loss of his responsibility to his players.
"He told me, 'Be consistent,''' Rivers said. "If nothing else, they must know what to expect from you.''
As Boston's dream season has unfolded, Doc Rivers has privately struggled to balance the jubilation of his lifelong dream with the devastation of losing the person he aches to share it with the most.
Grady Rivers died after a brief illness in November, in the infancy of Boston's 66-win season.
The Celtics were on the road in Toronto at the time, and Rivers told his team at a morning meeting. He then flew to Chicago to be with his mother, Betty, certain he had successfully concealed his considerable anguish.
"Nah, you could see his pain,'' Pierce said. "I felt for him. I know how much his Dad meant to him.''
It has been a long year for the coach of the Boston Celtics. Rivers has had no time to mourn his father, no time to confront the sadness and grief that seizes him without warning.
If only Grady Rivers could have seen Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, all three potential Hall of Famers, nodding intently as their coach laid out instructions during that unfathomable Game 4 comeback.
It was a marked departure from 2004, when Pierce was so disenchanted with Doc's message he often stood apart from the team huddle, looking anywhere but at his coach.
Rivers vowed to play up-tempo basketball and told Pierce he expected him to commit to that style. On the occasions he didn't, Boston's best player found himself stewing on the bench. Pierce refused to buy into Rivers' motivational tactics and scoffed at the coach's habit of slipping inspirational notes under the hotel doors of his young players.
"Kind of college-y,'' Pierce sniffed at the time.
Yet Pierce couldn't help but notice in the months ahead that his shooting percentage was up and his turnovers were down, just as Doc predicted. He had to admit the notes seemed to motivate the young guys. He didn't always agree with his coach, but over time, he learned to accept his methods.
"I guess you could say we came to an understanding,'' Pierce said.
They are one game away now, in part because of how successfully Rivers has utilized his bench. P.J. Brown, Leon Powe, Posey and most recently House have made critical contributions at key junctures, and veteran Sam Cassell says that's no accident.
He points to an April 12 game in Atlanta, when the Celtics' season was winding down and Boston had already locked up home-court throughout the playoffs. The Celtics' starters looked sluggish and were down by double digits when Rivers motioned for his reserves.
"So we're about to go out there for the fourth quarter and Doc grabs us and says, 'Now let me be clear. I expect you to win this game,''' Cassell said. "You should have seen the young fellas. He won them over, right there. His message was, 'This is important. You are important.'''
It's easy to sell that to a team on the brink of greatness. Yet point guard Rajon Rondo maintains the message has always been the same.
"Doc is the exact same coach now as he was last year when we were losing all those games,'' he said.
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