Rivers’ performance just what the doctor ordered

The position of head coach could be the most unforgiving occupation in all of professional sports. Oftentimes a coach is given far too much credit for a team’s success; however, when a team fails to meet expectations it is the head coach who is the first to go.As the Celtics opened their first-round matchup with the Miami Heat, expectations for the Green were at an all-time low; the Celtics had lost seven of their final 10 games, while the Heat were torching the competition, winning 12 of their final 13 games. To the rest of the sporting world, the Celtics 5-game dismantling of the Heat, and 6-game upset over the Cavaliers proved to be a surprise, but to Celtics head coach Doc Rivers the Celtics playoff success was something he had expected all season long.As the Celtics stumbled through the final weeks of the regular season, losing to teams like the Wizards and the Nets, it was Rivers who continued to tell the media just how much he “likes his team” and how “close they are.” It was Rivers who continued to play Rasheed Wallace meaningful minutes despite Wallace’s total disregard for the regular season. It was Rivers who took the blame and absorbed the majority of the criticism from both the fans and the media. While the Celtics were struggling on the floor it was Rivers who was managing both the injuries and the minutes of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, and it was Rivers who helped Tony Allen remember that he could defend the likes of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Rivers is an aberration, now in his sixth season as Celtics head coach he is the longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference. Most importantly, while most of us were lamenting his 2009-2010 performance, he was busy turning in his finest season as head coach. Said the suddenly resurgent Garnett, “Doc Rivers is everything; he’s the glue that keeps us all together, the captain of our ship. We listen to him, follow his direction. We believe in him 100 percent ? He hasn’t proven us wrong yet. He’s a true soul, who speaks his mind. That’s what you want from your coach. You want your coach to be brutally honest, among each other, and follow that lead.”Just in this season alone, Rivers has taken the blame for his team’s shortcomings, absorbed the criticism for its failures and deflected the attention away from his injured stars. Now with the Celtics knocking on the door of the NBA finals, Rivers is the first person to pass the credit along to his players and assistant coaches. In a game fueled by uncompromising egos, it is the humility of the Celtics head coach that could be the final piece to the 2010 championship puzzle.