Object of their dissatisfaction not lone culprit

He heard the chants. How could he not? The TD Banknorth Garden was emptying at a rapid clip and the few leather lungs who remained let it be known what they wanted: to see Doc Rivers's head on the proverbial platter.

"Fire Doc," they said many, many times. Happy Thanksgiving, the day after.

That's what happens when you get drilled at home by the Knicks by 24 points -- an accurate reflection of the competition for the evening, by the way. That's what happens when you've lost eight of 12 in a month dominated by home games against suspect teams and, frankly, where it was supposed to be the other way around. As in 8-4.

But it's not -- and the natives are getting more than a little restless. Can you blame them? A season some saw as promising is slipping away before the end of the first month.

"Boston is a tough city," said Delonte West, after the embarrassing 101-77 loss. "The fans have the right to be upset. That's a natural reaction. But I don't think it's right [to fire Rivers]. Everyone is frustrated. The players are frustrated. The coaches are frustrated. The fans are frustrated."

Last night was downright humiliating and historical, for "Fire Doc" chants have not been a part of the insipid game presentation at the Garden. The Knicks shot 50 percent and took 39 free throws. Steve Francis nearly outscored the Celtics by himself in the game-turning third quarter, during which the Celtics were outscored by 15 points.

And, according to Rivers, the Knicks did not do anything different offensively than they had done the previous Saturday, when the Celtics had prevailed in a free throw-shooting marathon at Madison Square Garden. And the Celtics' defense was worse than their offense, which offered up a season low in points and 38 percent shooting. "They got every shot they wanted," Rivers said.

Agreed Ryan Gomes, "They had us on our heels the whole night."

That's because the Knicks threw out a zone, your basic 2-3, and the Celtics reacted as if they'd never seen such a thing. They took more 3-pointers (21) than free throws (18). As Celtic after Celtic took a quick (and errant) shot against the zone, Rivers seethed. He had told them, explicitly, not to do that, for that is playing into the hands of the zone. And they did it nonetheless.

Is that bad coaching? Is that bad preparation? Is it a communication breakdown? Are the Kool-Aid drinkers out there so smitten with the overinflated expectations of the players?

"It's no fun not winning," Rivers said. He knows. He's lost more than he's won. He's never had a really good team. He's always been a coach who has overseen teams where making the playoffs constitutes an achievement, if not a mission statement. He is playing the cards he has been dealt and while he may not always be playing them like Charles Goren, he also doesn't have a hand of aces and face cards.

This has been a bad team since Day 1. It's poorly constructed. It's too young. How many coaches have been asked to win NBA games with four players who came from high school to the NBA, three of whom are rotation regulars and two of whom are starters? It's a roster that, for the most part, consists of players who would be serviceable reserves on good teams.

But having said that, whatever Doc has said to them in the last two games has gone in one ear and out the other. And that is a big part of coaching. The Celtics were awful against Charlotte Wednesday and then laid the brontosaurus egg before a sellout crowd at home last night. Rick Pitino can draw back screens and backdoor cuts with the best of them. But his players stopped playing for him and it was clear to just about everyone that he had to go when he did. By doing so, he probably saved himself a nervous breakdown.

"It's no fun having the fans boo you," Rivers went on. "I understand the people are impatient and that coaches are the ones who get fired. That's the way it is."

And, inevitably, he will get whacked. They all do. Had Rivers agreed to a buyout, he would have been long gone before the season started, and he must at times wonder why that deal couldn't and didn't go down. He could be home in Orlando, Fla., waiting for the ABC coverage to start, and working on his short game.

He may get to do that anyway, especially if things continue as they have the last two games. But for all those Doc bashers out there -- and there are a lot of them -- be careful what you wish for. No, Rivers isn't Phil Jackson. You don't hear anyone say that the Celtics start every game with a 5-point lead because of the coaching edge.

But if the problem was only him, that would be one thing. It goes much further than that.

Peter May can be reached at P_May@globe.com.