"It was really no different than any other year,'' Rivers said in an interview with FanHouse at the Air Tran Orlando Pro Summer League. "It was a much bigger deal made about it than it was. It's what we do every year. We (his family) go home and relax and we sit around.''
Rivers admits there were "times'' he came close to stepping away. Still, he didn't think his decision process deserved as much focus as it got."Because it got out that's what we do, I thought it was embarrassing to me because it was just so much attention about it,'' Rivers said of what he called an annual evaluation. "Once you made (the decision), it was great. The family was good and everybody was happy. And now you just worry about your team and you got to get everybody back, and you got to add a couple of guys.''
"I wish he'd told me that,'' Ainge interjected. "I lost sleep.''
Nice try, Doc. We all know you were thisclose to walking away. It's okay to admit it.