Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers Had a ‘Major Falling out’ on the Celtics Until the Truth Used 3 Words to Squash All Their Beef
Meredith Nasrall Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers had a “major falling out” on the Celtics until the truth used three words to squash all their beef.
The doc rivers net worth is a blog post about Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers. They had a major falling out on the Celtics until the truth used 3 words to squash all their beef.
Although Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers did not have the same success as Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant, or even Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan, the Boston Celtics superstars had a lot of success together. They won one title and consistently reached the playoffs.
Their relationship, however, had a rough start. Rivers even said that they had a “big falling out.”
In 2004, Doc Rivers joined the Boston Celtics.
On December 18, 2004, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers leads his squad against the Cleveland Cavaliers. | Getty Images/Matthew Stockman
Prior to Doc Rivers’ arrival, the Boston Celtics enjoyed a lot of success with Paul Pierce. Pierce and teammate Antoine Walker led the C’s to the Eastern Conference Finals in Pierce’s fourth season. They even put up a fight against the New Jersey Nets, but fell in six games.
In 2002-03, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference playoffs again, but Walker was moved following that season. The club subsequently had a dismal 2003-04 season, in which it not only missed the playoffs in the first round, but also parted company with head coach Jim O’Brien.
As a result, the Celtics hired Rivers as their head coach before the 2004-05 season, despite having an empty chair.
Rivers took over a squad that had Pierce, an excellent scorer. The Truth averaged 25.1 points per game and shot 35.1 percent from 3-point range from 2000-01 to 2003-04.
However, despite his scoring prowess, he was not given special treatment over his colleagues.
On the Celtics, Doc and Paul Pierce had a “big falling out.”
On April 1, 2011, the Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce (from right) and head coach Doc Rivers faced the Atlanta Hawks. Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox
During Doc Rivers’ first three seasons in Boston, the Celtics were not very successful. They reached the playoffs in his first year, but then went 33-49 and 24-58 the next two years.
Rivers’ relationship with Pierce looked to be as tumultuous as Boston’s on-court performance.
Rivers told The Athletic, “When I initially got there, we had a big falling out.” ‘Paul, are you a decent shooter or a fantastic shooter?’ I said. ‘I’m a terrific shot,’ he remarked. ‘Well, then, you’re taking terrible pictures,’ I replied. ‘Paul, you’ve got to move the ball,’ I reminded him as we walked in. When the ball reaches your hand, it comes to a halt, allowing the defenders to close in on you. All I ask is that you move it fast, then return to it and attack it. And if you do so, you’ll see an increase in your percentage. Because the defense can no longer stack the deck against you.’ But he wouldn’t do it right away.”
In that first season, Rivers even benched Pierce in the fourth quarter of a tight game because he didn’t believe he was hustling on a fast break.
“I go into the locker room and tell him, ‘I’m telling you straight up, I’m not changing.’ So, one way or another, something is going to give,’” Rivers remarked, according to The Athletic. “It was to his credit, and only his credit, that we continued. For the next two or three games, I didn’t say anything about it.”
Then, one day, Pierce came into Rivers’ office and uttered three words that seemed to put an end to everything: “I got you.”
“I’m not sure why. I’m still not sure why. He did, though. Rivers told The Athletic, “Probably because I kept pulling him out.”
Together, Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers won a title.
“From that moment on,” Rivers added, their “relationship was phenomenal.”
According to The Athletic, he stated, “I trusted him.” “He felt quite comfortable approaching me if he had a disagreement or if the team wanted to do anything. That was simply how we had a wonderful relationship.”
That close bond eventually spilled out onto the court.
In 2007, the Celtics acquired superstars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They won the NBA title after going 66-16 in their first season with Pierce, Garnett, and Allen. The C’s went on to make six consecutive playoff appearances after that, including two visits to the Finals in three years between 2007-08 and 2009-10.
Pierce and Rivers, though, both departed Boston following that famous period in 2012-13. In 2015-16 and 2016-17, though, they rejoined with the Los Angeles Clippers, which were Pierce’s last two seasons in the NBA.
With Rivers, he finished his career.
Success may sometimes be found on the other side of a fight. After a “big falling out,” Pierce and Rivers won a championship together and enjoyed a “phenomenal” friendship, according to Rivers.
Celtics supporters will be relieved that they were able to get beyond their disagreements, since it resulted in the addition of another banner to the rafters.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Paul Pierce Admits He Hasn’t Watched One of His Career’s Most Devastating Losses: ‘That’s Tough,’ says the narrator.
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