Glenn "Doc" Rivers Chokes at the Stripe in C's Win

December 10, 1984

GLENN "DOC" RIVERS MUFFED CHANCE TO STAR

Glenn (Doc) Rivers was easy to spot last night. His body was sprawled on the Garden floor while the Celtics trotted off with yet another victory.

Rivers didn't have anything to be particularly ashamed of, and neither did the Atlanta Hawks, who more than acquitted themselves in a 128-127 loss to Boston. But nobody blamed Rivers for feeling a little sorry about losing. Twice he had a chance to be a hero and didn't come through.

The first was with eight seconds left. Rivers missed two free throws, and Boston got the ball back in time to call time and score the winning basket. Rivers confessed later that winning shot by Kevin McHale might have been his fault, too. He was supposed to be guarding Larry Bird, and by the time he realized it, it was too late.

"Boston made a smart play during the 20-second timeout," said Rivers. "They took out a guard (Quinn Buckner) and put in a forward (Cedric Maxwell). That made Bird a guard, and nobody picked him up. I guess he was my man. I was happy to see him miss the shot. But the thing about Bird is that he shoots such a soft shot that even when he misses, it's around the basket for a tip-in if the guy has position."

Rivers, a former Marquette star, couldn't believe he'd missed two clutch free throws.

"I thought the first one was in," he said. "It went over the rim and then rolled off. On the second one, I buckled my knee. I guess I picked a bad time to have bad mechanics. The second shot came right back to me, and I couldn't pick it up."