Doc Rivers on The Value Of Ball Possession

Doc Rivers, in The Boston Globe of October 20, 2008, puts an emphasis on the value of the ball, aka cutting down the number of turnovers. He mentions the 2008 Playoffs in which the Celtics lowered the number of turnovers by  one and a half, which contributed to their victory:

The Celtics are stressing limiting turnovers, Rivers said.

“We’re starting to understand the value of the basketball but we haven’t exhibited it,” Rivers said. “I think they get that – what turnovers do to your team. But I don’t think we’ve put it in play yet. Our young guys are starting to understand how we want to play every night. They don’t have it yet, but they are playing with a heightened sense of urgency. I don’t think we were great last year in that department.

“In the playoffs, our turnovers were cut down by a turnover and a half. The speed of play was slower in the playoffs, that is part of reason for that. We want to score, we want to run, we want to push it up, and we want to value the ball. We play so hard defensively, it’s a shame to get it back and give it right back to the other team.”