The Morning Walkthrough: Doc Rivers, Zen master?

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald - "The Celts weren’t pleased all around in the wake of the loss to Philadelphia, but the bickering with the refs made it look even worse. 'He who angers you owns you,' proclaimed coach Doc Rivers after yesterday’s practice. 'I’m trying that. If you don’t get angry, you can keep functioning. He who angers you owns you. I actually texted that to a couple of guys last night. I’m just hoping that becomes our team’s mantra right now. Let’s breathe. Zen II. I was joking by saying it, and I got a funny reaction from it. But there is some truth to it, as well.' Addressing questionable calls, Rivers said, 'It’s not done on purpose, and we’ve just got to be able to play through it, and at times we don’t. We spent way too much time looking for the officials to bail us out instead of doing our jobs.'"

Frank Dell'Apa, Boston Globe - Wallace has a league-leading 10 technicals, six short of an automatic suspension. 'I think he’s has what - nine, 10?' Pierce said. 'And 16 you get suspended. So we’ll tell him to slow it down a little bit until the end of the season.' Pierce has been able to keep conflicts with officials in perspective. 'At this point in my career, you’ve got to understand it’s part of the game,' Pierce said. 'Referees aren’t perfect. They’re going to have good days, bad days, just like us as players. The thing is to just play mentally through it and not let it frustrate us. I think it is easier said than done. It takes a strong mind. I’ve been one that’s . . . never really got the benefit of a lot of calls, so I’m used to it. I’m numb to it.' After the game, coach Doc Rivers revived a team catchphrase, sending a text message to 'a couple guys,' though he would not confirm Wallace was one of them."

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald - "In fact, Allen is hoping Woods’ transgressions will be the basis of some important conversations. 'It’s a great opportunity for parents or teachers or whoever to teach young people that, you know, even though Tiger’s made a lot of money and he’s arguably been the best golfer in history, he’s still human,' Allen said. 'He still makes mistakes. Striving for perfection is one thing, but along the way you’re going to stumble. Along the way you’re going to hit roadblocks, and when you do you just have to pick yourself up and go at it again.' As for Woods taking leave of his marriage vows, Allen said, 'People want to say that’s just athletes, but it’s men and women all over. There are men and women who are unfaithful. I mind my own business.'"

Greg Payne, CelticsBlog - "When Pierce or Antoine Walker got hot early on, their point totals were automatically embedded in our minds. The same can also be said for Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson and even (gulp) Mark Blount when they put together a colossal rebounding night (or in Blount's case, that ONE colossal rebounding night). I think in a way, with the majority of this decade's teams not achieving a whole bunch, stats were an outlet for us. If the Celtics lost but Pierce scored 40 or Perk grabbed 20 boards, we could at least brag about that. But now, ever since Rajon Rondo helped guide the Celtics to the championship two seasons ago, we've been able to add assists to the list of personal statistics that captivate us night in and night out."

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston - "The Celtics watched film of their 98-97 loss to the Phialdelphia 76ers and coach Doc Rivers opined that the team, 'had so much slippage, offensively and defensively, it's amazing we were actually in the game.' The coaching staff pointed out all of those errors in a lengthy film session, then ran the players through a fairly strenuous 65-minute session that included a hefty amount of 5-on-5 work. 'You'd rather not get in the habit of practicing after a loss,' said Rivers. 'I don't think our guys like having these type of practices and film sessions.'"