When the Boston Celtics won Banner 17 in 2008 after Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined a roster that already had Paul Pierce, it seemed likely the Celtics would be back winning titles on the regular again. But injuries, bad luck, and now, according to former Boston head coach Doc Rivers, bad roster management prevented that from happening.
Speaking on the latest edition of ESPN’s “Woj” podcast, Rivers explained why he thinks the Celtics’ titles under his tenure stopped at one.
“We start … giving pieces away — Tony Allen, James Posey — where I thought what Golden State did (was) smart,” he explained. “They kept their core as long as they could keep it, and then they started making moves when the guys got older.”
Still, the former Celtics and current Philadelphia 76ers head coach acknowledged that this would not have been a common outcome, even then.
Celtics Lab 146: Catching up with Tacko Fall on his new book, the CBA, and ties to the Celtics https://t.co/9lHJEjUOBZ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 9, 2022
“That’s the outlier,” he explained. “That is not normal anymore in our NBA.”
“It’s hard having sustained success with one group,” Rivers added later. “It’s really not normal anymore.”
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