Doc Rivers: Celtics up for huge task 'one stone at a time' (USA TODAY)

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Updated 52m ago

By Kevin Massoth, USA TODAY

The Miami Heat are two wins from reaching the NBA Finals for the second season in a row, perhaps casting doubt on the adage, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers got 44 points from point guard Rajon Rondo in a losing effort in Game 2, as the Miami Heat take a 2-0 series lead to Boston.

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By Steve Mitchell, US Presswire

But following Miami's 115-111 overtime triumph against Boston on Wednesday, the Celtics are on their hands and knees using moral victories to crumble South Beach's empire one stone at a time.
"We're trying to break this wall down and we're chipping away at it," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Thursday, as the series moves to Boston for Game 3 on Friday. "We made vast improvements from Game 1 to Game 2 and we need to make more improvements to Game 3. And I think we will."
Most of the chipping Wednesday was done by point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored a career-high 44 points with 10 assists and eight rebounds -- and playing all 53 minutes.
But the Celtics blew a double-digit first-half lead before eventually running out of gas in overtime, with All-Star forward Paul Pierce on the bench after fouling out in the last minute of regulation.
"There were times we didn't play very smart on our defensive rotations," Rivers said. "We should have been in spots to prevent some of the drives late in the game. As well as we played offensively, I just thought there were a lot of things the guys will see on film that they won't be happy with. And that's a good thing."
It's a starting point. That's the message Rivers left with his team.
"I think our guys are very encouraged going into Game 3," Rivers said. "We still know we have to play better but I think our guys know now that we can play."
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