Doc Rivers Quotations | Page 3

I don't think he liked it. But he didn't squawk about it, either. And I think he understands that when he comes off the bench, it makes us a better team. We need him there.

I asked one of their coaches what was the difference between here and, like, Minnesota. And he said: 'No one cares who scores. If Chauncey scores 40 one night and Rip has two, Rip could are less. And that's unique. That's a coach's dream.

He's one of the few guys, especially as a rookie, that when he's on the floor, at least to some degree, you breathe, ... Usually when rookies are on the court coaches don't breathe. They hold their breath. But he doesn't play that way. He's not going to blow you away with flash. He's just going to blow you away with solid basketball.

He's not going to be a guy that will be featured on ESPN, but he may be a guy that is featured on our videotape when we're watching film as a team. To me, that's always more important. He does a lot of things well and he does them the right way. His best quality is that he plays with a calm and he gets the job done. He's so good at letting the game come to him.

I do believe you have to build a core to become a good basketball team. We're starting to get a core of guys. It would be nice to staple some of the guys' pictures on the wall instead of using the velcro.

These last five or six games are tough, and like I told Danny (Ainge), I don't know what to do. But this is nothing I want to go through again. Me and Danny are on the same page about this, though. We have to keep teaching the young guys.

The end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, Paul Pierce took over the game.

The difference now is that he keeps his teammates involved. He scored 36 in the flow. The guy's in the third year of his career. To understand the game the way he does, he should coach.

The funniest part is I missed most of the celebration because I ran into the locker room because I thought that's what everyone did, ... I probably sat in there for five minutes and not one player came in there. I came back out and Michael Wilson's on the rim, guys are celebrating. I guess I should have stayed out there, but I didn't know.

The difference in him now from last year is that he keeps his teammates involved. He scored 36 in the flow, and if he was selfish he could have scored 50 and they may have lost.

The mental part is difficult early on. Then it comes down to how much they want it after that.