The plan always was to get the Celtics to a championship level in the six or seven years of Rick s contract, then he d kick himself upstairs and give the job to me. It didn t work out that way. It was there one day, and when it happens you have to zero in. Shooting guard Paul Pierce saw a new coach stepping in and immediately commanding respect. He s not one of those coaches who s going to rant and rave about mistakes, Pierce told the Boston Globe.
Guys are now very comfortable, just going out there and playing basketball.
He just makes everybody comfortable out there. In essence, O Brien is no different than he was as the star of the Roman Catholic team, or the floor leader of the St. Joseph s team. He revels in the scheming and planning that are part of coaching. He was my coach on the court, McKinney sa ys . He was the director, in charge, someone you could depend on to do the right things, to make others do what was expected.