Celtics Coach Doc Rivers Named 37th Most Powerful Person in Boston

A list of the 50 most powerful people in Boston includes plenty of obvious names in 2012, but the Celtics organization provided one surprise.

The usual suspects are all there. John Fish, the CEO of Suffolk Construction, tops the list, while government figures such as Governor Deval Patrick (No. 4) and Attorney General Martha Coakley (No. 5) help round out the top 10. Meanwhile, only two sports figures managed to sneak on the list.

While Patriots owner and CEO Robert Kraft cracked the top 20, Celtics Coach Doc Rivers is the true surprise, coming in at No. 37, according to the April issue of Boston magazine.

Boston magazine credits Rivers with overcoming the longstanding notion that the city of Boston has an issue with racism. He has been the C's head coach since 2004 and has a $35 million extension through 2016.

Rivers' biggest challenge now may be overcoming the departure of stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The aging Big Three have a limited future that almost certainly won't extend to 2016. Rivers will have a tremendous challenge in finding new stars to keep Boston competitive.

Of course, with all the power he apparently wields, bringing in some big names shouldn't be a problem.