The allowances afforded to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last season with the Los Angeles Clippers impacted chemistry and also angered many teammates. Doc Rivers says he was against the practice.

"A lot of it is true," Rivers concedes. "There was special treatment, but what people don't understand is I was the guy who didn't like it and was fighting it."

Rivers said he underestimated how disjointed the Clippers' locker room had become.

"The goal on every team is to find a group of guys who have figured out how to win -- or at least some of them," Rivers says. "If they are the right ones, they don't give a s--- what anyone else does. They don't get caught up in all the crap.

"The Lakers are a great example. Clearly LeBron and AD got different treatment, but the guys around them said, 'Who cares? As long as we win.'"