Rivers praises Garnett's leadership

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Kevin Garnett recently said playing the point guard position was "the worst experiences of (his) life." In Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks, he wasnt running the floor with the ball in his hands, but Doc Rivers credits him for doing so with his vocal leadership.

Between injuries and suspensions, consistent lineups have been hard to come by in the Celtics first round series against the Hawks.From one game to the next, rotations are changed in response to which players can take the court.

In Game 2, the Celtics made adjustments in the absence of Rajon Rondo (suspension) and Paul Pierce played point-forward.

In Game 3, the Hawks went small without Josh Smith (knee), often playing a guard-heavy lineup. On the same night, Ray Allen (ankle) returned, changing the look of the Celtics from Games 1 and 2.

As the teams modify their lineups from quarter to quarter, game to game, the players are faced with constantly making adjustments each time someone checks in at the scorers table.

Rivers praised Garnett for effectively communicating the necessary changes to his teammates.

He was terrific, said Rivers. They (the Hawks) kept changing lineups, going five guards. (Vladimir) Radmanovic, they went big. And Kevin had to do all the talking. He was basically the linebacker out on the floor, all by himself. And thats hard. Thats a hard job to do.

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