Doc on Tito's firing: "It's like losing a brother"
Like most of the Boston sports faithful, Doc Rivers was stunned by not only the Red Sox late-season swoon but the departure of manager Terry Francona.Boston sports teams have seen a lot of success over the past decade, and it formed a bond between the coaches that took their teams to the top.
Rivers offered his reaction Monday.
“Obviously losing him for me and this whole city, it’s like losing a brother in sports in a lot of ways," the Celtics coach said. "You have such a great relationship. It’s just one of those guys who’s in the same situation that you can share with. So that obviously, I did understand what he was going through but you just hope from afar that it was going to work out for everybody.”
The success of all four teams has been unique but maybe just as impressive is the fact that all four coaches have held their jobs so long, something hard to do in today's sports world.
Francona was with the Red Sox for eight years before the Sox decided not to pick up his option after suffering the worst September collapse in baseball history, falling short of the playoffs for a second straight year.
Doc Rivers began coaching the Celtics at the same time Francona arrived, in 2004. Rivers signed a five-year extension with the Celtics shortly following their second round playoff defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat.
