The New England Patriots’ extended stay in San Diego has afforded them some unique opportunities, and while Bill Belichick isn’t exactly hanging out with Justin Bieber, he’s making the most of his time in the sun, too.
A few Patriots players dropped by a Los Angeles Clippers game Monday night and received a warm welcome from Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who quipped it was time for his players — many of whom are Dallas Cowboys fans — to see a “real football team.”
Rivers, of course, spent nearly a decade as head coach of the Boston Celtics from 2004 to 2013. He developed a close relationship with Belichick during that time, and the Patriots head coach returned the love during a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
“I love Doc. We have a great relationship,” Belichick said. “I think he’s obviously done a tremendous job in Boston and now with the Clippers. …
“I think all the times he’s talked to the team, the messages that he’s delivered are outstanding. Nobody understands competitive sports, especially somebody who’s not in football, understands it better than he does.”
That’s certainly high praise from Belichick, who is among the most knowledgeable and detail-oriented coaches in professional sports.
As his team prepares for the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night, Belichick also explained his reasoning for flying the team straight to San Diego after their loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“Going from Green Bay back to Foxboro and then to turn around and come back here probably on Friday (is) just a lot of travel for the team at this time of year,” Belichick said. “We were able to get in here Sunday night and really have kind of a pretty normal day yesterday and a normal Tuesday today without too much — any more than normal type of fatigue.”
Thumbnail photos via Stew Milne and Tim Fuller/USA TODAY Sports Images
