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"They know how to lose" - Phil Jackson called Doc Rivers' Boston Celtics chokers during a Lakers timeout in the 2010 NBA Finals
By Virgil Villanueva,
10 hours ago
In Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics led by as much as 13 points against the Los Angeles Lakers . They seemed well on the way to take a 3-2 lead over the defending champions.
In the fourth quarter, with less than three minutes to play, the Doc Rivers -coached squad had a safe 12-point lead. But after a sudden turn of events, the Lakers trimmed the lead to just five with 46.6 seconds left. In the middle of their miraculous run, Phil Jackson reminded his squad that they were facing chokers.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Chokers?
"This team has lost more games in the fourth quarter than anybody in the NBA," Jackson said . "They know how to lose in the fourth quarter, all right? They're just showing us that right now."
Celtics star Paul Pierce was made aware of such comments after the game. He agreed with the Zen Master's observation. However, it didn't faze him because The Truth believes it was just a motivational tactic from the Zen Master.
"You know, he's right. What you just said, that's been the truth for us throughout the regular season," Pierce said. "He's supposed to say something like that. I probably would say the same thing if I was a coach in that situation. It doesn't bother me at all."
Fortunately, the Celtics held on to win Game 5, 86-92. With a 3-2 lead, they were just one win away from winning another title over their rivals.
In the next game, the Celtics did not have the opportunity to choke. That's because, in Game 6, they were manhandled by the Lakers, 89-67, to tie the series at three games each. The Rivers-helmed team struggled all night long, and Kobe Bryant and crew capitalized on each mistake.
Game 7 was a closer duel with several back-and-forths between the two squads. Bryant infamously struggled in the final game but made up for it by snagging 15 rebounds. He also scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
To an extent, Phil was right. Boston had a chance to win it all in Game 6 but blew it all away. Nowadays, critics and haters poke fun at Doc Rivers for his tendency to falter in big games.
He powered the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks to impressive regular-season records. But for some reason, they just fell flat in the playoffs. Doc may have a master's degree in losing.
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