Posts tagged Docrivers at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

So many Corey Maggette rumors, so little time. Well actually, we have nothing but time right now considering we're in full blown off-season lull mode until signings can officially take place later this week. But with Maggette being the most productive player on the free agent market that might be willing to sign for the mid-level exception, plenty of teams are lining up for his services. Let's do a little roundup, shall we?

The Celtics are interested; Doc Rivers called and told Maggette so himself. The Spurs are interested, and, if the offer is for enough years, may be the best opportunity for Maggette to combine minutes with a chance to contend for a title. The Magic have some interest, although that rumor's a little light on substance.The Cavaliers and Pistons are likely to be interested as well, especially at the low, low price of a multi-year deal for the MLE.

That's really the reason for all of these teams getting in on the Maggette sweepstakes: a salary for someone of Corey's talents that starts at around $5.8M per year and only increases by eight percent each season is an absolute steal where NBA dollars are concerned. If Corey does decide he's all about the money, the only teams that can offer him more than the mid-level are the Warriors, the Grizzlies, or the Sixers. But Corey has already been quoted as saying "If you want to win, you have to make sacrifices," so I expect him to end up choosing a team that has a chance to get to the Finals sooner rather than later.

In the long-form tradition of The Rotation, Tom Ziller considers the action the morning after each game of the NBA Finals.

Proper perspective for the absurdity of Game 6 does not exist. The NBA can call this one weird season on infinite counts, but the sum of all other nonsensical haps in the league really cannot compare to what the Celtics franchise provoked on its way to the championship.

Boston's series win isn't a surprise: as Brett Edwards wrote last night, everyone knew it was coming after that mystical Game 4 win in L.A. But this? A complete blowout from the start of the second quarter? Garbage time?! Eddie House alley-oops to a 180in' Tony Allen?!? GATORADE ON THE HARDWOOD!!!!

Simply and utterly absurd ... but just real enough to change the entire face of the league.

When Ray Allen skipped talking to the media and immediately bolted the Staples Center following Game 5, the Celtics explained it was because he had to deal with "a health issue with one of his children," declining to get into specifics out of respect for Allen's family.

Somehow, word eventually "leaked" via sports talk radio that Allen left because his daughter Tierra, a high school freshman, was hospitalized due to diabetes. The blog The Lakers Nation heard the report and posted the news, which in turn helped spread the word around the internet.

As it happens, the report was false -- as Allen clarified yesterday, it was his 17-month old son Walker who was hospitalized due to diabetes, though as you can see in the photo, he's since been released and was able to attend last night's game.

From the AP comes news that both Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo will go tonight in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Boston. What does this mean?

Well, Perkins is nursing a shoulder injury, which is not a best-case injury scenario when you're talking about a guy that's on the floor to provide a physical presence. Perkins' absence was noticeable in Game 5 as the Laker repeatedly, and finally, built an advantage on the offensive glass with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Perkins is playing to try and erase that deficit, but with Gasol's height advantage over, well, everyone, having a bum shoulder could cause issues.

Conversely, Rondo's suffering with a bum ankle, and that's equally as unfortunate for his skill set. His big advantage over Derek Fisher is his speed and athleticism, and if that's limited, he's just an awkward young point guard who has trouble shooting.

However, the gamble is definitely worth it if the two are really healthy enough to play, obviously. The real question comes if they aren't. Doc Rivers is notorious for his rotation issues, and will often leave guys in too long before making the necessary adjustment. Will he be able to pull the plug tonight if he needs to? Will he have to?

Before you start flaming me for the headline Celtics fans, just relax. Because I'm not the one who's making that claim (I would never), those are the words of Kevin Garnett himself. During his post-game presser, KG was deeply disappointed in his Game 5 play, so he wasted no time in ripping himself for the performance.

"It was trash. I played like garbage tonight. I can do better and I will. I could never really get into a rhythm. I was playing on my heels the whole night."

And the free throws?

"Those are free throws I know I can hit. But I'll take them again if you put me in that situation. I'll have the confidence to knock them down."

While Garnett did miss three of his four free throws down the stretch, he also hit a big jumper to tie the game at 90 just minutes before that, so it's not like he was completely ineffective, but it was definitely a sub-par game for him.

Doc Rivers lamented Garnett's play as well, mentioning that the team can't afford to have him picking up reach-in fouls, especially considering the fact that Kendrick Perkins is unavailable due to injury. But knowing the way KG plays at home, and with the championship on the line, I'm sure he'll bounce back in Game 6. Or not.

Championships. Legacies. MVPs. Superstars. Points. Rebounds. Assists. Turnovers. We discuss these things at this time of year as if they have physical weight, as if they could alter the tectonic plates on which we live our brief lives. And yet, when measured with things of actual gravity, they seem so meaningless.

It is with that thought that we send our best wishes to the family of Celtics' guard Ray Allen, who left Staples' Center tonight post-game suddenly and quickly with what is being termed "a family issue." Boston coach Doc Rivers had this brief statement after the Celtics' Game 5 loss tonight.

"Ray Allen was forced to leave Staples Center tonight right at the conclusion of tonight's game due to a health issue with one of his children. We ask that you please respect Ray's privacy at this time, and we'll keep you up to date as best we can moving forward."

It could be something as simple as a kid with the flu or a household accident. We'll hope for the best. But it certainly provides a good example of just how far out of whack we regard things like defensive assignments and heart when in fact, these things measure pretty low against things like "taking care of your kids."

TrueHoop was, predictably, out on the break on this one, and has a source that says Allen probably won't miss Game 6.

Best thoughts from FanHouse are with Ray Allen and his family.

In the long-form tradition of The Rotation, Tom Ziller considers the action the morning after each game of the NBA Finals.

The dominating lead the Lakers built in the first half of Game 4 may have been astonishing, but it was not a surprise. As Los Angeles ripped through the toughest Western Conference in history, it seemed nothing would stop their machine.

I dare say the Celtics have figured them out. With a Lakers roster built so completely around an unstoppable offense, Phil and Kobe seem to have no back-up plan when the Lakers machine meets its match on the defensive end. Except to maybe wet the bed.

In the long-form tradition of The Rotation, Tom Ziller considers the action the morning after each game of the NBA Finals.

Big moments in sport often provide the stage for monumental upsets. Super Bowl III. The Miracle on Ice. Doc Rivers over Phil Jackson. ... No, really! Rivers, according to popular opinion, outcoached the nine-time champ in Games 1 and 2. Schemes, motivational codas, rotation decisions: Rivers played everything close to perfect, while the Zen Master was left answering questions about what went wrong.

But big upsets are often flukes. Over the course of a best-of-seven series, truth will typically win. We saw that happen very clearly in Game 3, as Rivers easily retook his seat as "Coach WTF?!"

The best part about tonights game is that with the lake-joint already down 2-0 there's a tremendous amount of pressure on Kobe Bryant. (Captain Obvious, here, entertaining all night.)

That means though that he has a fun little quandry to deal with. Does he buck-cowboy-man up and score 75 or does he involve his teammates?

We know the latter works, but the first one is much more fun. Kind of. Kobe's legacy may depend on this game tonight; I just don't see the Lakers coming back from 3-1. Sorry, I just don't.

And I postulated as much before the series started. Although clearly I was wrong in hindsight, it was kind of tough to predict that Paul Pierce would return from a near fatal knee injury to bogart this series with his Schillanigans.

But before everyone freaks out, remember, the home team is supposed to win. Or have these playoffs not taught us anything? As of right now, the Celtics aren't locked into anything, the home team just held serve. Find out if the Lakers can do the same tonight.

Live blog kicks at nine sharp.

I am not entirely sure that asking "what strikes you most about that game?" to Phil Jackson after watching the Lakers come up short in a weird comeback attempt during Game 2 of the NBA Finals was such a smart idea. Unless you were a reporter looking for a quote where Phil laced into the officiating.

'I'm more struck by the fact that Leon Powe gets more foul shots than our whole team does in (Powe's) 14 minutes of play,' Jackson said, even mispronouncing the Celtic forward's name to add insult to his 13-10 free throw edge. 'That's ridiculous

'You can't play from a deficit like that; that we had in that half, 19-2 in the first half. I've never seen a game like that in all these years I've coached in the Finals. Unbelievable.'

See that? Two pot shots in one set of quotes. First he takes a dig at Powe and then he points out just how many freaking years he has been an NBA Finals coach. So you know. Officials, fans, David Stern, Doc. Just in case you didn't realize.

Phil certainly has a point though -- 38 to 10 in terms of free throws is bad enough. But when one player, specifically the guy that made the biggest difference in the game, gets more free throws (13) than your entire team in 14 and a half minutes, well, that's absurd. Thirteen free throws in 14 minutes is ridiculous enough by itself without needing that extra boost.