BOSTONDoc Rivers has not minced his words when explaining that his focus throughout the offseason has been squarely on the Miami Heat.
But through that lens, Rivers realized that there were certain players with certain skill-sets that in his system, could give the Celtics a fighting chance at dethroning the Heat.
"I was more worried about getting the best team we could formulate," Rivers said. "I didn't care who it was against. My thought was, we needed a couple more playmakers. We needed to improve defensively at the guard position. We needed a rebounder and we needed more size."
All those options will be on display today when the Celtics hold an open practice at the TD Garden. It will be the C's last practice around these parts before departing for the Sunshine state for the season opener against the Heat on Tuesday.
The C's are confident that they have addressed all those areas of concern this offseason, which is why they are once again on the lips of most when discussing the top NBA teams heading into this season.
The addition of Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and most recently Leandro Barbosa, gives Boston three different playmakers who can impact games in their own unique way.
Lee has already shown the ability to defend some of the top wing scorers in the league like Brooklyn's Joe Johnson. And while Terry is known primarily for his shooting, Rivers has gotten an eyeful of what he can bring to the floor defensively as well.
"I pretty much knew what he was and who he is (defensively)," Rivers said. "Some of that is good; some of that isn't. That's why you play as a team. It's a team defense."
Boston drafted 6-9 forward Jared Sullinger out of Ohio State in the first round, and he has proven himself to be a player that should help the Celtics on the boards this season. The C's also added more big man depth with a pair of 7-footers in their other first-round pick Fab Melo, and veteran free agent Darko Milicic who was among the NBA's leaders in blocked shots just two years ago.
All of those players bring something to the floor that the C's clearly want and need in order to be successful. But they each come with their share of flaws and shortcomings as well.
"That's one of the things we talk about. We know each others' weaknesses as much as anybody knows," Rivers said. "If a guy is on the floor and he has a weakness, we have to cover for him. That's part of what teams do."