Boston coach Doc Rivers was a former player and friend of Rick Majerus. He once brought his oldest son, Jeremiah, to Majerus' camp at the University of Utah: "After about a day, I couldn't take it any more. It was like, 'My gosh, he's putting my son through the same thing I went through with Rick.' But it was great, and the dinners were legendary."
'Plethora' of bigs
Prior to last week's 110-107 overtime win over the Jazz, Rivers spoke with envy about Utah's big-man rotation that includes Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. "They're tough, they're big and they're physical," he said. "... They have four bigs. They have a plethora. They should share some, is the way I look at it."
Rivers a fan of Hayward
Rivers is also a fan of Gordon Hayward, although he calls him "Haywood." Says Rivers: "Haywood is the guy who stands out to me. ... He's been one of my favorites for a while. My staff laughs and says I have a man crush. [But] I just like the way he plays. He's a rugged kid with skills and IQ. He's athletic. He's getting better and better."
'Don't even try' to replace Rondo
How has Rivers replaced injured All-Star Rajon Rondo, who is out for the season? "You don't, you can't, I don't even try," he said. "We play a little different. The ball moves because it has to. We don't have one guy who can set us up and put us in things. But otherwise, we don't think about it much because there's nothing you can do about it.
Steve Luhm