Last Wednesday night San Antonio went into Boston and pretty much did whatever they wanted against the Celtics, winning easily 112-100. They did it for a few reasons — Tim Duncan is moving like he is 25 again, for one — but in large part it was because the Spurs players stuck to their roles while Boston was less disciplined.
The tables flipped Friday night when the veteran Celtics went into Oklahoma City and beat the Thunder. Boston dictated the pace and controlled the flow of the game.
Kevin Garnett told the Boston Globe it all stems back to a talk coach Doc Rivers had with the team at shootaround.Garnett said the key was the morning meeting, where Rivers reemphasized every player’s ’ role, and the cohesion was apparent.
“San Antonio left a bad taste in our mouth, I know we can play better than that. I told them I know we can play better than that,” Garnett said.
“Doc set us aside and broke us down as a team and I thought it was very helpful. It kind of clarified the air on guys’ responsibilities, their roles, and we came out and played like it.”Those kind of undisciplined moments happen over the course of a season, it’s a smart coach that recognizes and corrects it early. The Boston players know what to do, it’s just a matter of getting them back in their groove.
