Heat's Pat Riley on winning: "Without it (hard work), you don't stand a chance".

With the Celtics facing a do-or-die Game 3 versus the Miami Heat tonight, the Guys in Green should think of listening to what Miami's team president, Pat Riley had to say about winning in the NBA:

"Hard work doesn't guarantee anything, but without it you don't stand a chance."

Riley never made even one All-Star game as an NBA player, but he was tough and gave everything he had. But as a coach, he has five Championship rings, in addition to three more as an NBA executive. Pat also was named Coach-of-the-Year on three occasions and Executive-of-the-Year once.

In two Eastern Finals games thus far, his Miami troops are following Riley's lead. They are playing hard - with a capital "H". Pat's players know that he will tolerate nothing less, as does Miami coach, Eric Spoelstra.

It can be argued that Boston has the more talented players, but so far, the Heat have played like the better team - or at least the group that works the hardest consistently, never taking their feet off the gas.

Coming back from a 0-3 deficit in a 7-game series in the NBA is a near-impossible task. Only three teams in NBA history have evened a series at 3-3 after being behind 0-3. No team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the series.

We can only wonder about the nature of the locker room flareup after the loss in Game 2, but at least part of it was most likely rooted in a lack of total commitment and effort - or in Riley's words, "hard work". Without it, the Boston Celtics "don't stand a chance". Time to correct that.

Comments

Sign the Petition! Let's honor Tommy Heinsohn

No longtime Celtics fan can watch games this year without a somewhat heavy heart. For the last 50 plus years, we have been blessed as a franchise to have Tommy Heinsohn, Mr. Celtic himself, as a part of the organization. Whether it be as a player, coach, or commentator, Tommy has been an instrumental figure for the green, and his presence is missed on every broadcast. Nobody embodied what it meant to be a Celtic more than Tommy, and I know I miss his energy and ferocity every time Scal claims the refs "made the right call" against the Cs. While Tommy obviously belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Celtics, he is often overlooked in his place among the greats of NBA history. Looking back upon his life, one would be hard pressed to find someone with a bigger impact on NBA basketball than Mr. Celtic. For those who are unfamiliar, let's do a quick review. Tommy is one of 2 people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach (the other being the indomitable Len

We may be glad Danny Ainge rolled the dice on Theis

Frankly, I was not sure if Danny Ainge would ink Daniel Theis to a new deal, but it looks like a good move. Theis is signed for two years at a total of $10 million, with the second year non-guaranteed. With the departure of big men Al Horford and Aron Baynes, rolling the dice on Theis could work very well. In his first season in Boston, Daniel just kept improving. For the pre-All-Star stretch, he averaged 14.5 minutes/Game, 5.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG while shooting 52% on field goals and 30% on treys. Post-All-Star his minutes increased to 18.4 per game, his points to 7.8/game and his boards to 5.3/game. And he shot 68% on field goals and 40% on 3-pointers. Then a meniscus tear shut him down. His minutes and production took a hit last season, in part most likely due to lagging recovery from the injury. Right now he is playing on German's entry in the FIBA World Cup. In a game versus The Czech Rebublic, he scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, passed off for three assists and blocked tw

What Jeff Teague can bring to the Celtics offense

Bringing in Jeff Teague as some guard depth this year could end up being a monumental move for this year's Celtics team. Teague is a well respected veteran in the league, and having gone to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015 with the Atlanta Hawks, knows what it takes to win tough games. Here's a brief look at why I think Jeff will be a great fit with the C's Every Celtics fan loves Marcus Smart , due to everything he brings to the table, from the defensive intensity to scoring outbursts. For all the good things he does, Marcus excels off ball, and can have his effectiveness diminished when he is forced to be a primary ball handler. He is often pigeon-holed into that role with the second unit (or when Kemba is out), and Teague's addition will hopefully allow him to play more off-ball and maximize his abilities. At the deadline last year, Teague was traded to the Atlanta Hawks to play alongside Trae Young. His usage rate and effectiveness dipped considerably, as he

Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Search This Blog