Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers sat down with USA Today Sports for an in-depth interview about his past with Boston and his future with Los Angeles. Among topics, Rivers discussed how the Clippers Big-Three compare to his original Big-Three with the Celtics and if he had any regrets about the way he left Boston.
Asked to compare the Clippers' Big-Three to Boston's Big-Three in 2007, Rivers said: "Well, Chris is going to be a Hall of Famer, and so should Blake (Griffin) and DJ (DeAndre Jordan), hopefully, but we were getting (surefire future Hall of Famers). Paul was and Ray and Kevin are, so in that terms, that day is bigger just because of those three guys. ...It's more that we're building this team."
He furthered his comparison and said when Boston brought in Allen and Garnett to join Pierce, the stars were in a different phase of their career than his young Clippers team.
"...(Garnett, Pierce and Allen) were over themselves. It was time for them to focus on one aspect of their career, and only one, and that was winning.
"This is a younger team. ...I think it will be really interesting to find out, 'Do you want to stand out, or do you want to win?' ...For the young ones - that's DeAndre, Blake, and Chris - that'll be the key is sacrificing even some of their games for the good of the win."
His much-publicized departure from Boston also came up. Rivers reiterated that general manager Danny Ainge got exactly what he wanted from the "trade," and Rivers said he hoped fans understood his reason for leaving. At the same time, Rivers acknowledged there isn't anything he can do for those that remain upset.
The biggest problem, however, that Rivers had with his exit from Boston is the misconception that he asked for it to happen.
"I think the only thing I keep hearing is that I initiated this, and I really didn't," he said. "That's where I think the miscommunication has been in that. But once it was initiated, I definitely pursued it. I thought it was a good thing to pursue for me."
Rivers enjoyed his nine years in Boston, but he is happy in Los Angeles and believes it was the right move.
*"Trade" — NBA coaches cannot be traded. Boston released Rivers early from his contract, and the Clippers compensated Boston with a 2015 first-round draft pick.
