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“Ubuntu on Three”: Doc Rivers Reveals the Secret to Boston Celtics’ 2008 Championship Run

Published 09/28/2020, 8:00 PM EDT

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Speaking of the best NBA franchises, the Boston Celtics stand on top with 17 championship banners in their rafters. However, after Larry Bird’s stint with the team ended, they were out of the spotlight for 32 years!

The Celtics acquired head coach Doc Rivers, hoping to change their fortunes. However, in his first three seasons, the Celtics were wavering far away from their goal. In the 2006-07 season, the team finished dead last in the East with a record of 24-58, leading to “Fire Doc” chants from fans.

However, everything changed the next season when the team acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, pairing them with Paul Pierce. Hopes were high for the team, but managing three huge stars is a tough task for any coach.

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Doc Rivers explains his strategies in Netflix’s ‘The Playbook’ documentary and how he implemented the “Ubuntu” culture in his team.

“[16:51]If we are gonna win, we’re gonna have to sacrifice, you’re gonna have to change. If you want to shoot every time, wrong team, if you wanna do whatever you want to, wrong team.

“[18:47] A person is a person through other people. I can’t be all I can be unless you are all you can be…And I broke this word [Ubuntu] down and all these different parts, and how I could implement it to the team. And I chose the rookies would be the perfect messenger.

I said, ‘Okay, I’m gonna teach you this word, and I need you guys to sell this to the team.’…They did it with passion, they did it with a little bit of humor, they did it with swag. I said, ‘All right, guys, great job.’, everybody started clapping, and I said, ‘Let’s put our hands in.’ 

And Kevin Garnett says, ‘Ubuntu on three’.”

How good were the Boston Celtics after implementing “Ubuntu”?

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In simple terms, they became the best team in the entire league. They won 66 games in the 2007-2008 season and had the best record in the league, heading to the Playoffs.

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The story was more of the same for the Celtics in the postseason as well. They made it to the NBA finals for the first time in 31 years and defeated long-time rivals, Los Angeles Lakers, to win it all.

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If it weren’t for Doc Rivers’ brilliant idea to unite the team, they might not have made it that far. The 08′ Celtics team were a delight to watch, and all their hard work paid off.

What do you think about the “Ubuntu” strategy by Doc Rivers?

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Written by:

Aikansh Chaudhary

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Aikansh Chaudhary is an NBA columnist for Essentially Sports. Previously, he helped rank various websites using the latest SEO techniques, and wrote over 2000 articles during his stint as a freelance writer. A die hard Lakers fan, Aikansh will forever uphold LeBron James as the GOAT.
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