“We were stuck in the backcourt,’’ Rondo said. “It was kind of hectic.’’
Rivers made the leap, jumping nearly to the free throw line to get the referees’ attention. Ultimately, Mike Callahan saw him.
“We had one second left,’’ Rivers said. “I’m glad they saw me. I don’t think they had a choice but to see me. I was past them.’’
Rivers saved the Celtics a possession and possibly the game, and on the way back to the bench his team greeted him as if he had taken a charge. Brian Scalabrine rubbed his shoulders and Kevin Garnett threw a couple elbows as if Rivers were Perkins.
What was bigger was the next sequence. Out of the timeout, Ray Allen found Garnett in the paint, and he quickly dropped a pass to Perkins for a layup that made it 97-90, giving the Celtics a cushion they held on to for a 103-94 Game 2 win at Staples Center last night.
“The execution out of that [timeout] was terrific,’’ Rivers said. “We spread the floor and we told the guys, move the floor, they’ll double, and if we keep moving we may find a layup, and we got one. So I was just proud of the execution.’’
The Celtics return to Boston with the series tied at a game apiece. Rivers’s giant leap turned out to be the game saver.
“The guys got a kick out of that,’’ Rivers said. “You know, it was funny, as big as that little moment was, I actually thought that the bigger moment was all the players were laughing at me and it allowed them to breathe a little bit, and I thought that helped us.’’
Rondo, the floor general, praised Rivers’s smarts.
“Doc is a pretty intelligent coach,’’ Rondo said after posting his second triple-double of the postseason (19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists). “He knew the time and score. He knew we needed the possession.’’
Everyone else praised the gusto of the 48-year-old coach.
“It’s just funny,’’ said Glen Davis. “He ran out there, an old man trying to call a timeout, looking like he was about to hurt himself.’’
