Doc Rivers fanned the ire with team criticism

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said a story in yesterday’s Herald containing comments critical of the team from Rajon Rondo [stats], Kendrick Perkins [stats] and Paul Pierce [stats] was “overblown.”

Then he said he agreed with the statements and that he’d been saying the same things behind closed doors. Rivers later acknowledged he hadn’t read the story.

(Rivers altered course later, saying after the game the reaction to the piece, not the story itself, was overblown.)

Rondo’s remarks came in response to a query about the team’s recent lack of execution late after Monday’s game in Washington.

“I think it’s a little bit of different agendas maybe creeping in,” he told this reporter. “It just all depends. You know, I think if we all had the right spirit as far as one goal, one thing in common, I think we’d be a lot better.”

Rondo added, “I can’t really elaborate on it too much, but I think we’ve just got to be a team with no agendas. We’ve got to play unselfish, you know? That’s on defense and offense. You’ve got to want the best for the next man out there regardless if you’re in the game playing well or you’re out of the game not playing well.”

In a separate, earlier conversation, Perkins said, “I think each person’s just got to take themself out of the equation. You know, whatever you’ve got going on the personal side, whatever you’re trying to get done, just take it out and just think all about team.”

Before last night’s 107-102 win against the Heat, Rivers said, “I think it was a little overblown, to be honest. I think (Rondo) was saying something, but a little different than the way it was taken. And I would have wrote the same thing.”

Rivers was told via text message on Tuesday the Herald was working on something of interest and that he was welcome to have his say. He declined.

“But I do like our chemistry,” Rivers said of his team last night. “I like it a lot. (Rondo) was almost repeating what I said three weeks ago. And it was more about being focused going into the last three or four weeks before All-Star break. You know, too many agendas, too many guys worrying about travel, worrying about everything except for basketball. And it tears your team apart . . . for that stretch.

“He’s basically repeating everything I (said) in front of the team. I said, ‘We’re not going to be the team of two years ago or the team of last year. Every team’s different, so stop looking for that. Be this team.’ And that was the point I was making. He just said what I said.”

The coach was asked if it was a positive sign that his sentiments were now being voiced by his players.

“Well, I like the fact that I heard Paul and I think Rondo both say they’ve been given the answers to the test, but of late they’ve flunked the test anyway,” Rivers said. “I love that. That’s good. Having said that, I’d like to pass the test. But I’m not that concerned by it. I am concerned by all the injuries clearly. Obviously you don’t want that, and it does hurt your continuity as a group. It’s been difficult to get any continuity as a team. Every time we think we’re about to get it, something happens. But other than that, I like our team a lot.”

Of Rondo perhaps showing leadership, Rivers said, “I don’t mind that. There’s better ways of doing that, but I don’t mind that. Even the comments he made, I didn’t mind much at all, because, one, it says that he’s actually listening, and that’s always a good thing.”

But, as Rondo and Perkins intimated, there is room to question whether there’s a sense of urgency.

“Not as much as the ’08 team,” Rivers said. “But I do think they have a sense of what they want to play for exactly like that team. . . . We’ll have it (by the playoffs). You don’t need it right now. You know, it is January or February. So you need it later.”