Doc on D&C: 'Just a fun group to coach'

Doc Rivers made his weekly appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show on Tuesday morning. On Monday, the Celtics gained a 3-2 lead over the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 101-85 victory. Brandon Bass, on the bench for most of the fourth quarter of the Game 4 loss, matched a career-high with 27 points in the win, including 18 in the third quarter.

"Brandon, first of all, made shots and kind of let the game come to him," Rivers said. "And having Ray [Allen] and Paul [Pierce] on the floor, the longer they were on the floor the better it was for him and I thought we did a very good job of finding him." 

Bass was acquired in an offseason deal that sent Glen Davis to Orlando. Many have pointed to that trade as one that was done not only to help the club on the court, but to improve the chemistry and attitude in the locker room. 

"I'm not going to talk much about last year's team, but I'll say this: The character on this team is as good as we've had," Rivers said. "It's just a great group of guys, they are able to fight and then get along, which is a huge component on a team. … It's just a really fun group to coach. Are they as talented as last year's team? I don't know, but they play together better and I think that makes us better. … First thing after last year I told Danny -- and Danny agreed, obviously and went out and did it -- was that we had to get our locker room right. It was vital for us to be a good basketball team."

With Game 6 on Wednesday and Greg Stiemsma and Ray Allen both dealing with foot injuries, Rivers said the Celtics will not practice on Tuesday. He was asked about the Game 6 status of Avery Bradley, who was forced to miss Game 5 with a shoulder injury.

"I don't know yet, I would say 50-50," Rivers said. "Avery's a tough kid, it really bothered him not to be able to play. And you knew the fact that he was saying that he couldn't play, you knew how bad it was."

To hear the interview click on the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For more Celtics news visit weei.com/celtics.