Doc Rivers Uses Bribery to Get Celtics to Finals

Apparently Doc Rivers made all of his players, coaches, equipment managers, etc. give him $100 after they played the Lakers in Los Angeles back on February 18th. He put the money ($2,600 total) in a sealed enveloped and hid it in the ceiling of the visitor's locker room. Doc told his team that if they wanted it back they had to make it back to the finals to get it since they didn't have a game in LA on their remaining schedule.


I guess that is a great way to motivate your players...if you are coaching a high school team. Does $100 really matter to someone like Paul Pierce who is making nearly 20 million a year? Their roster has 17 players listed which means Doc got $100 from 9 coaches and equipment managers. I think the $100 would be more important to a lowly equipment manager but what would good would motivating them do - how could they impact the Celtics chances of getting to the finals. Did they start using fabric softener so the uniforms would be more comfortable? Perhaps they broke-in new shoes so the players didn't get blisters? Maybe they heated the boxer briefs in case the arena was a tad under 72 degrees.

What if the Celtics had made it back to the finals but against a different team? Doc told them the only way they would get their money back was to make it to the finals. What if they played against Dallas, or Phoenix, or Denver? Would Doc have just paid them all or would he have had to pull something out of Ocean's Eleven and steal all the money back? I could definitely see Nate Robinson playing "The Amazing" Yen. Maybe Doc watched Blue Streak in the hotel room that night and that's where he got his inspiration.

I like the fact that the Celtics made it back to the finals against the Lakers and the money was still there. In the sealed envelope. In the ceiling. Untouched. They probably put it all toward drinks at the bar after getting their asses handed to them Game 1.