Rivers: Scalabrine is "Phenomenal"

Rivers: Scalabrine is "Phenomenal"

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">CHICAGO -- When Doc Rivers recently praised Brian Scalabrine for his "phenomenal" overall play, it seemed like the Celtics were living in an alternate NBA universe, a through-the-looking-glass realm.

Could Rivers be talking about the same Scalabrine who struggled to earn playing time and the confidence of the coaching staff last season? As surprising as it may seem for those who booed Scalabrine last season and earlier this season, the answer is yes.

With Rivers looking for players who take pride in defense, who play every possession hard, who bring toughness and energy to the floor, Scalabrine's stock has risen in the eyes of his coaching staff and teammates. The reserve forward has emerged as an unlikely role model. Against the Toronto Raptors, Rivers cited Scalabrine as the only Celtic who could guard All-Star Chris Bosh. Scalabrine played so well at Air Canada Centre that Rivers did not want to take him out.

"Scal is really important for us because we don't have a lot of veterans who can think the game and talk," said Rivers. "Scal has an extremely high basketball IQ. He had it last year, too. That hasn't changed. It may have gotten him in trouble last year. He was trying to do too much. He was trying to do things he did in other systems. He tried to do it his way a lot, instead of our way. This year, I thought Scal would be better coming in.

"He's come in and done the stuff we wanted him to do. He's looking better on the floor. He's fitting in. He plays hard every night. Even if Scal is not playing great defense, he's playing hard defense. A lot of times you're going to get fooled, you're going to get beat, but if you play hard enough, something good happens."</div>

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