On December 16, 1944, the German army amassed 29 divisions along the Ardennes forest in Bastogne, Belgium. The goal was to impede American liberation efforts in Europe. The German offensive was initially successful, creating a large "bulge" in the Allied front (the battle was henceforth called the "Battle of the Bulge").
The Allies responded by ordering General George Patton to attack the Wehrmact, which had encircled the 101st Airborne Division.
How will you orchestrate the counteroffensive, General? Patton was asked.
"My strategy will be the same as always: kick the Huns back to Berlin."
And so he did.
Doc Rivers first test as a Celtics coach this season came at halftime of the game against Orlando, when the Magic's lead had "bulged" to 17.
As he entered the locker room, the players were already talking about making changes for the second half.
Doc cut them off.
"We are making zero adjustments. We’re just going to do our [original game plan] better and harder.” he said.
The Celtics then proceeded to outscore Doc's former team 61-46 in the second half.
True, the Celtics came up short. But the point of the exercise was that, for the most part, great teams need to play their game and let the other teams adjust. The Celtics didn't play their game in the first half, and before Doc was willing to make any adjustments, he wanted the players to demonstrate to themselves and everyone else that as long as they brought their 'A' game, the rest would fall into place.
The game did change. But the Cs had just dug themselves too big of a hole to escape from.
It remains to be seen whether the Cs are in fact a great team.
But in the spirit of General Patton, Doc knows the best way to find out.
An NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, and there will be time for plenty of adjustments later, including personnel moves, if necessary.
For now, let's see what we have.
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