Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers admits that the focus is on their NBA curtain raiser against Miami Heat on October 30.
This despite getting ready for their first pre-season game, and NBA Europe tour clash with Turkish giants Fenerbahce Ulker.
No doubt the Celtics will not only being facing a tough Fenerbahce side, with European stars Bo McCalebb, Mike Batiste and Bojan Bogdanovic to name a few but also their loud and hostile fan following as tonight’s game played on the Asian side of Istanbul, in the Ulker Arena, will be a sea of yellow and navy blue.
For Rivers though, he’s thinking ahead their first regular season game against Miami Heat, where their fans replace yellow and navy blue for a sea of white, mainly reserved for the playoffs.
“The pre-season game, if you win that would be great and if you lose, then you lose and I don’t want to lose but I’m just trying to get them ready for Miami,” Rivers said to media in the Turkish capital.
“It’s always good for them as a player, they can’t wait to play someone else so when you call out the set and [the other team] don’t know it but right now anything you call, the guy guarding you knows exactly what you’re doing.”
Fenerbahce have already began pre-season, but lost their last game against bitter rivals Galatasaray in the Spor Toto Turkey Cup. They are considered a favourite to reach the Euroleague Final Four in London next May.
