The Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers put the stamp on one of the most eventful NBA offseason periods in recent memory. The Celtics essentially traded away three starters and two draft picks in order to acquire point guard Kyrie Irving from the Cavs.
The fact that these two teams are likely to duel it out in the Eastern Conference Finals for years to come is what makes this move so surprising. However, one person who was not surprised by the blockbuster trade is L.A. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, according to Stephen Hewitt of the Boston Herald:
“They went out and got talent, man. That’s gonna show. I think what they've really done, to me what they didn't have in the past, and I think every team has to have it, you have to have closers. You can be as good as you want to be, and at the end of the game you need to have guys who are going to close the game for you. Now they have those. I don’t know if they’ve had that in the past, and now they do.”
As former head coach of the Celtics, Rivers was all too accustomed to big offseason moves made by Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. Prior to Rivers' departure to L.A., Ainge assembled the first modern-day “Big Three” by trading for power forward Kevin Garnett and shooting guard Ray Allen to team them up with franchise mainstay Paul Pierce.
The result was an NBA title in 2008 and Danny Ainge earning his first Executive of the Year award.
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