Apr 16, 2010

Scar reminds Doc Rivers what not to do as a coach

For many people with trauma scars, their wounds are a constant reminder of a bad decision made at some point in their past. This is why many seek to reduce the appearance of scar tissue through modern treatments like silicone gel sheeting. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers is no different. His scar does reminds him of a poor decision that has shaped his basketball career in the years since - a decision not made by him.

In 1993, Rivers was a point guard for the New York Knicks playing in a season ender with the Chicago Bulls. Ostensibly a game for bragging rights between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, as both had already qualified for the finals playoffs, the game was viewed as meaningless by much of the press.

Pressured by the league to play a rotation of his entire roster, Knicks coach Pat Riley reluctantly sent every player on the court despite a desire to preserve the athletes for the playoffs ahead.

What resulted was a series of injuries to some of the team's star players including a dislocated finger for shooting guard John Starks and a torn ligament in the thumb of Rivers, which required surgery to correct.

Rivers uses the lesson learned from this experience as a coach.

"You've got to play somebody," Rivers told the Boston Globe, "but that will always have an affect on me. If we had everything clinched, after what I went through and other guys on our team getting injured, there's no way I would play guys. I wouldn't take the chance."ADNFCR-3015-ID-19727035-ADNFCR

 

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