When Doc Rivers suggested that maybe his team get more sleep, not everyone was happy about it. "It's funny," he said. "They didn't want to do it -- Kevin Garnett and Ray especially. Ray is the first guy here every practice. They were dead-set against it."
But by the end of preseason, everyone was on board.
So instead of dragging themselves to the gym in the morning, the Celtics don't step on the court until noon on off days and 4:30 p.m. on game days. "It's really been beneficial to me because obviously you get your full rest in, especially when travelling," said Celtics forward Paul Pierce. "It gives me an opportunity to get in here early and do my weight strengthening and conditioning that I couldn't do in the past."
The Portland Trailblazers were the first NBA team to give up the morning practices. The Celtics took notice and consulted a Harvard medical professor on the effects of sleep deprivation.
"In the NBA, it's not like you normal work force," Rivers explained. "We get in at 3 in the morning, 2 in the morning, 5 in the morning, 4 in the morning, so we tried to figure out when the boys go to sleep. It varied between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m…. We're practicing at 10 in the morning and they're going to bed at 4 a.m. That's five hours of sleep because they get to practice an hour early."
Less than a month into the season, the difference is night and day. "They all love it," said Rivers. "Ray even said, 'I gotta tell you, I can't believe how good I feel.' So far, so good."
And there's nothing better than a good night's sleep.
