Across all the coaches, across conversations with several great ex-champion players, Rivers was delivered a common thread of caution. Somehow, you’ve got to get your role players to return to the mindset of, well, role players.

"After you win it," Rivers said, "you realize how really hard it is to win a championship. You’ve got to get the right calls. You’ve got to have guys in the right spots. And sometimes, you have to get to a loose ball."

He thinks about a jump ball. He thinks about Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 7-foot-3 center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, reaching over Posey to tip the ball to LeBron James with a minute left and the Cavs within three points. The Celtics had a drill they always did in practice called "First to the floor," and it was just an old-fashioned way to practice beating a man to the ball. Whatever it takes, get the loose ball. Superstars, bench players – no one sat it out. No one was exempt.