Over the past four years, two NBA teams have been mainstays on Christmas. One of those teams, the Los Angeles Lakers, is coached by Phil Jackson, a grumpy Negative Nancy who hates everything and isn't afraid to say so.
Doc Rivers Loves Playing On Christmas, Unlike Phil Jackson
"I don't think anybody should play on Christmas Day," Jackson said. "Soccer teams don't play this time of year, they take a break. I don't understand it. ... When I was in the CBA, we had a commissioner who had a Christmas Eve game. I had to call him up and say that's the holy time.
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"It's like Christian holidays don't mean anything to them anymore. We just go out and play and entertain the TV. It's really weird," he said.
The other team, the Boston Celtics, is coached by Doc Rivers, a much more jolly fellow that actually enjoys being the coach of a team that matters.
"I look at it as a privilege. The fact that they asked us to play on Christmas means we're one of the good teams, one of the featured teams."
There’s a logical explanation for this difference of opinion: Jackson’s teams have been so good that they’ve been in the game every year he’s coached since 1995, whereas Rivers has coached teams that went 24-58, 33-49, 41-41, 42-40, 43-39 and 44-38. Rivers hasn’t had good teams often enough to the point where he’s cynical about being on the NBA’s biggest regular-season stage.
But forget logic: it’s Christmas. Be happy, Phil Jackson. I know you hate everything, but can’t you at least try to get into the holiday spirit? This isn’t the CBA, you know.
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