Rivers on D&C: 'I love it here'

Celtics coach Doc Rivers joined the Dennis & Callahan show Thursday morning to talk about the upcoming playoffs and the discussion about his future. Rivers addressed a report that he is considering not returning to the team next season. He said the story was completely overblown, although the facts were ultimately correct. "Yeah, but it would have been fact-based three years ago, too, and last year, and the year before," he said. "Every year I go through the same thing, and at this point I'm at the same place I was last year and two years ago. I sit back after the season, and you guys probably understand this: You can't make a decision of any kind -- a good one -- when you're in the middle of something. I don't think about it. I try not to give it a lot of thought because of that."

Added Rivers: "I love it here. I can't get a better situation. I work with a GM in Danny [Ainge] and owners who allow me to do what I do. And there's no interruption in that. You can't get that in a lot of places in the league. When you get a good job and when you have just a -- not a good relationship but a great relationship with your GM in Danny Ainge, that's tough to break."

Rivers also brushed off a report that the Celtics locker room is "fractured," saying: "It's not [accurate]. There clearly are groups that hang out with each other more than other groups, but that's no different. Why does that have to be negative? It's ridiculous. ... Come on, guys, that's just silly talk, and a [reporter] looking for something. Usually you hang out with your age group, there's no difference in that. Usually, you hang out with guys personality-wise that you match. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale didn't go out together. So I guess they didn't like each other. That's just silly. That's just looking for stuff and stirring the pot."

The Celtics head into the playoffs having lost seven out of 10 games, including Wednesday's night's loss to the Bucks at TD Garden, but Rivers isn't concerned. "You want to have good rhythm and all that, but the playoffs are a new season," Rivers said.

Rivers said he understands NBA commissioner David Stern's frustration with teams that sit their stars in the final games of the regular season. "I get that. I agree with part of that, more from the fans' standpoint," said Rivers, who rested four starters Wednesday night but expressed sympathy for fans who attended the game hoping to see the Celtics' full lineup. "That would be disappointing if I were a fan. That would be tough."

That said, Rivers indicated that the health of the players had to be paramount. "We want them to be rested, we want them to be healthy," said Rivers, who noted, "I was injured the last game of the year as a player, and that will always stick with me."

To hear the interview, click on the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. Visit the Green Street blog later this morning for a transcript.