Doc Rivers says Boston Celtics gave it their all in game 7 against the Miami Heat – NBA News
Doc Rivers is a proud coach, and he looked like one at the post game press conference after the game 7 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. He has been the coach of one of the best teams in
the NBA for the past few years and has a championship ring to prove it.
The Boston Celtics entered game 7 against the Heat at the American Airlines Arena after having an opportunity to send Miami packing in front of their home crowd in game 6. They missed the opportunity and Miami
took inspiration from a sell out crowd to give a stellar performance in the final quarter of game 7 and win the game and the series.
After the game, Rivers said that he was proud of his team and what he had accomplished and sincerely felt that they had nothing else left to give.
“I was really proud of our guys, especially early on. You could just see they had the fight in them. They were going to play the right way. ... Honestly, I just thought we had nothing left. That's how it felt
as a coach. I was trying to push every button we possibly had,” said Rivers.
The Celtics have had an amazing season, battling with injuries to stay alive in the hunt for the playoffs. They lost Jeff Green to start the season. Then they lost Chris Wilcox and Jermaine O’ Neal. Dealing with
the loss was not an easy adjustment to make but the Celtics showed resilience to go on a winning streak after the All Star Break and be in contention for the playoffs. They finished 4th placed in the Eastern Conference as their veteran stars Kevin
Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen played big minutes to cover for the injury depleted roster.
The Celtics went through the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round in 7 long games, even after losing Avery Bradley to shoulder injury as well. The determination
in their star players became more evident as the series got tougher and they started playing longer minutes.
Even in the series against Miami, the Celtics were the under dogs and the Heat were the favourites. Still, after losing the first two games, Boston came back to win three in a row and take a 3-2 lead in the series.
They were unable to close the series in game 6 and Miami won game 7 at home as well.
“I really wanted to win this game. Really, you know, nothing to do with me. When you think about this group, no Jeff Green to start the season and no Chris Wilcox, no Avery Bradley, [Jermaine O'Neal]. If we could
have got this group to The Finals, it would have been fantastic for us,” said Rivers.
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