I'm really happy that Marc Spears wrote about this today. After hearing Doc's quotes about Tony Allen needing to "play better," and seeing him do just that last night, it was just really nice to see.
"I really wasn't looking at it as no challenge," Allen said. "I was looking at it as I have to play better to help our team. And Coach is going to coach regardless. That's what he does. He's one of the best coaches I've played for. I took it as a scolding."
Although Allen missed 1 of 4 shots and had two turnovers in the first half, Rivers stuck with him in the second half. In fact, Allen played twice as many minutes (eight) as starting shooting guard Ray Allen in the fourth quarter. The Celtics' bench also accounted for 46 points, including a combined 32 from James Posey and Eddie House.
"Posey was huge, Eddie House," Rivers said. "And the guy I was most proud of was Tony Allen because he had a tough first half with some of his passes. I told my staff that no matter what, I was going to put him in, I was going to stick with him."