Rivers has already come out and said the Lakers are a better team, and were a better team last season..
Chalk this up as pure motivation. Piss of the guys and make them prove you wrong. Anyone who knows basketball, knows this year's Celtics team is loaded and a near lock to win back the title.
Here's more from Doc:
Still, Rivers believes the Celtics never reached a point last season -- even during their 19-1 start -- when they were playing at the same high level they had played at the previous season.
"We had swagger as champions, but I thought it was false bravado. I never thought we had that true, 'Let's go on the road and get this win' feeling. I think there were times where we felt we could win anywhere, but it wasn't consistent," Rivers said.
Now this I believe. We watched the games and saw a lot of sloppy play, a lot of turnovers. Despite dominating the league, the Celtics still weren't sharp. This year will be drastically different. The more I think about it, the more I think this team can win 70 games, even with Doc limiting minutes.
(hat tip to Lakers Nation)