Doc Rivers weighed in on the side of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the ex-Celtics vs. Heat feud.
ESPN reported that after Ray Allen went to Miami on a free agency, Garnett and Pierce were highly critical and even ignored Allen in games when they played against each other. After that duo was traded to the Nets, LeBron James blasted them for being hypocritical.
Rivers defended Garnett and Pierce saying:
“Paul and Kevin were traded,” Rivers said on The Dan LeBatard Show on Wednesday. “They were traded. Paul was traded whether he wanted to be or not. Kevin was the only one who had to agree to be traded even though he had already been traded. He had to agree to the trade. That’s completely different.”
Rivers received some criticism for orchestrating his departure from Boston to a team with younger and better talent. He thinks the Heat have a better argument there.
“You could make more of a case for me leaving than on Paul and Kevin,” an animated Rivers said before reiterating that Pierce’s and Garnett’s situation is “completely different” from Allen’s.
Rivers also touched on another topic by admitting that he was instrumental in the decision to cover up Lakers’ championship banners at the Staples Center during Clippers games.
“That was everyone’s decision, but I definitely had a voice in it, and I was strong that I believed it should have happened years ago,” he said.
