Rivers signs extension with champion Celtics

Sep 10, 2008 - 3:37 PM BOSTON (Ticker) -- Less than three months after guiding the Boston Celtics to their 17th championship, coach Doc Rivers was rewarded with a contract extension Wednesday.

The Celtics did not release terms of the deal, but Yahoo! Sports reported the extension is through the 2010-2011 season and could be worth approximately $5.5 million per season.

The web site also reported that the deal includes incentive clauses which can raise Rivers' annual salary to as much as $7 million.

Rivers guided the Celtics to their first crown in 22 years with a six-game victory over the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

The title came after Rivers' team posted the best turnaround in NBA history. The Celtics finished the regular season with an NBA-best 66 wins after posting a 24-58 mark in 2006-07.

"Doc molded a championship team last season through his leadership and we are confident that he is the man to lead this franchise on the court now and in the future," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said.

Ainge has received credit for bringing All-Stars Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett together with the Celtics.

But Rivers got the most out of them by preaching defense first and, thanks to his player-friendly personality, allowed each to flourish individually. Garnett and Allen were brought in via trades prior to last season.

A runner-up to the New Orleans Hornets' Byron Scott for Coach of the Year in 2007-08, Rivers has gone 339-328 in nine seasons as a coach with the Orlando Magic and Celtics. He is 168-160 in five seasons with Boston.