The Doctor is in demand: Well-wishers love to approach Celtics coach

[radome]

I have been reading the posts for a couple of months but this is my first post.  I saw this on CBSsportsline by Tim Povtak, thought some of you might be interested.  I'm not tech savvy enough to ensure the link works but...

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10907688/1

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers is spending a lot of time playing golf this summer, which is nothing unusual. A bag of clubs has long been his constant offseason companion.

The golfing experience, though, has changed dramatically.
 
Bill Russell was among the first to offer kudos to Doc Rivers. He rarely finishes a round without someone giving him a thumbs-up, a glad hand or a pat on the back. He can't finish his lunch in the clubhouse without someone else picking up the tab.

Life after an NBA championship has its perks.

"When you've been in basketball as long as I have, you forget just how emotionally attached people are to you and your team," Rivers said Wednesday. "I've had a million people congratulate me this summer, and you never get tired of it."

Rivers has gone from the outhouse a year before to the penthouse, in the eyes of some Celtics fans, by helping to orchestrate the biggest turnaround in league history. Boston went from 24 to 66 victories, from the bottom of the Atlantic Division to the top of the NBA.

In the last six weeks, he has heard from grade school friends, high school buddies, college professors he once had at Marquette University, former players and rival coaches. People he doesn't even know have called, too.

During one round of golf recently at Salem (Mass.) Country Club, one of the greenskeepers got off his mower and walked over to greet him. There were tears in his eyes and his voice cracked as he thanked Rivers for a job well done. Rivers was so touched, he started tearing up, too.

"It just blew me away," Rivers said. "The greatest thing about winning the title is getting to share it with people you come in contact with, people you didn't even know it had an impact on. Winning was an emotional time for me and the staff, but you sometimes underestimate the emotions of the fans. Until you see something like this."

On one of his trips from Boston to his offseason home in Central Florida, he was walking through the airport when an elderly Celtics fan started shaking his hand and wouldn't let go, recounting tales from past Boston championships and the lowlights since the previous one.

Throughout the summer, the scene hasn't changed too much. When Rivers came to watch the Orlando Pro Summer League Games, in the facility where he once coached and was unceremoniously fired, he was swamped by well-wishers.

While sitting courtside with his son, a loose ball ended up at his feet. One of the rookies playing with the New Jersey Nets came to retrieve it, congratulating Rivers before inbounding the ball to restart play.

Rivers has spent this week watching his son, Austin, play AAU Basketball at Disney's Wide World of Sports. On Friday, Rivers will play in his charity golf tournament nearby that benefits Shepherd's Hope, the non-profit organization that provides free medical care for the poor. His success in Boston is expected to make the event more profitable than ever.

Rivers always has been one of the league's most personable coaches, usually pleasant and approachable, disarming strangers with his self-effacing chatter. He understands just how lucky he has been as an NBA player and coach.

Advertisement 
   





"I tell people all the time, I'm no smarter today than I was the day before, but winning changes the way you're perceived," he said. "I try to keep it in perspective. It's no different than any other profession, except that in sports it's magnified."

Rivers has talked almost daily with Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, reviewing their plans for next season, whom they might still sign and whom they might lose from the championship team. Rivers mostly has steered clear of trying to capitalize personally on the title. He has had several offers to collaborate on books about his rise, his team, all of which he rejected.

"I've said no to almost everything. Look, I'm only 46 years old, this book isn't done. I hope to coach a lot more basketball, have a few more chapters in my life before I could write anything," he said. "My belief is that, 'Let's keep this going as a team here.' We're not done yet."

He has spoken at a few corporate outings, where big-business people gather to talk about ways to be successful, about motivating employees. He usually attended those in the past to listen. Now he is asked to speak.

The Celtics will return next season with their Big Three intact, giving Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce a chance to defend their title. They will be without key reserve James Posey, who left as a free agent, but almost everything else will remain the same.

While Rivers was the scapegoat when the Celtics won just 24 games, almost losing his job early last summer, he also has been credited with meshing the three big stars in the first year they played together. Keeping them together might be an even tougher task for him.

"I never let negative opinions in the past change who I was or what I believed in," he said. "And it's the same way now. I don't know what will happen this season, but I do think winning breeds hunger, not apathy."

[VegasWarrior77]

It's amazing what a great coach you become when you have three all-stars on your team!  The same thing applies to the college game - the better you recruit, the better coach you are!  Go get'em Buzz!