Sounds like Doc can't wait to get to Italy. Via Celtics.com
"We actually get an extra week of preparation," Rivers said. "Any disruption as far as travel, we make up in being able to practice four or five days extra. I don't see this as a disruption at all, going over to Rome and London, it's not that bad of a flight. I like it, I'm really looking forward to it."
With a brand new team and plenty of new expectations since an offseason roster overhaul that brought in nine new faces, including most notably Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Rivers knows that building chemistry early in October will be key to hitting the ground running when the season starts in November. To Rivers, isolating the team from some of the distractions of home is probably an advantage when it comes to building camaraderie.
"I like that we're away. We did it the first year when I was here and we had a lot of success that season," Rivers said. "I've always been a fan of getting a group away, especially if it's a group where there's a lot of changes involved. The experience when you've finished practice, instead of going home and being with your friends and family, you end up in a forced situation to go out to dinner with teammates. Before you can start playing together, you've got to know each other a little bit. This gives us a chance to do that."