BOSTON -- When Doc Rivers returns to town now, it's an event. That much was obvious Sunday night when what amounted to a receiving line formed in the hallways inside TD Garden with smiling faces eager to greet the former Boston Celtics coach on his way to his pregame chat with reporters.

That question-and-answer session sprawled more than 15 minutes in length -- three times longer than current Celtics coach Brad Stevens' pregame confab that preceded it -- and Rivers gladly offered Boston-related thoughts on everything from the team's rebuilding process to Rajon Rondo's departure to rookie Marcus Smart.

Rivers said an awful lot of nice things about the Celtics, both before and after his Los Angeles Clippers posted a 119-106 triumph that wasn't nearly as close as the score suggests. As Stevens noted in the aftermath, "Tonight we just got manhandled."

But Rivers just kept showering Boston with praise. He's bullish on the Celtics' playoff chances in the Eastern Conference and marvels at how fast they were able to at least put themselves in position to chase a postseason berth.

Rivers joked that, while not many of his former players are still on the Celtics -- Brandon Bass and Avery Bradley are the only remaining bodies -- he does keep an eye on his former team from afar. Rivers quipped, "I want to tune it in whenever Tommy [Heinsohn is on the broadcast] because it’s always interesting." The two former Celtics coaches were spotted chatting together inside the visiting coaches' office long after Sunday’s game ended.

The Clippers reminded Boston on Sunday about the difference between a legitimate contender in the Western Conference and a team on the playoff cusp in the Eastern Conference. But Rivers remains impressed with how Boston has positioned itself.

"I don’t know if I expected it or didn't -- I just think they’re ahead of all the other, quote unquote, rebuilding teams because of all the things they have," Rivers said. "When you look at their team, they have good players, they have assets in players and youth, they have draft picks, and they have money. A lot of teams have one of those. None of the teams have all of those. I think Danny, what does he have, 1,200 draft picks over the next three years? Plus the players, plus the money. I think they’re set up to be pretty good pretty quick."

One of those draft picks that Boston owns is the Clippers' 2015 first-round pick, its compensation for trading Rivers to the opposite coast and sparing him the grind of the rebuild he had no desire to navigate.

Rivers was asked if he thinks he's proven himself to be worthy of that first-round pick. With the Clippers having won seven straight after Sunday's win, that pick is currently projected to be 26th overall in June's draft.

"Well, we’re playing our way into what I am probably worth," cracked Rivers. "The more wins, the worse the pick is. So then it works out pretty good."

Yes, Rivers looked downright presidential as he navigated the halls outside the Garden locker rooms, shaking hands and sharing a brief moment with familiar faces he crossed paths with.

What once was a nightly routine seems special now because it only happens once per season.

"You don’t get to come back but once a year, so it’s always nice," Rivers said. "It’s great going out in the city and getting a couple of free meals -- I always like those. So that’s nice. My friends paid last night; that was terrific of them. They’re setting me up for the summer golf. Yeah, it’s always nice coming back."

Some other Boston-related stories and thoughts Rivers shared on Sunday night:

• Bad parenting decisions: Maybe the most interesting nugget from Rivers came when he lamented how he didn't join his players in their locker room celebration following the 2008 title-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Rivers had been asked where last year's return to Boston ranked as far as emotional nights and he initially suggested it might be second in his career behind only Boston's title win.

Then he reconsidered and offered, "I don’t know if I was that emotional that night, though, when I think about it. I told our guys this: If I could do one thing over that night, I would have gone in the locker room. I never went in the the locker room after the championship, which is the strangest thing. I don’t know why I didn’t. I walked into my [adjoining] office and I just sat there.

Turning more lighthearted, Rivers continued, "And it’s funny, when I see film of it now, I see my kids -- which is underage drinking -- I see them jumping around with the champagne, especially the youngest one [Spencer]. I think he was like [12] -- bad parenting. But I never went in. I don’t even know why. I couldn’t figure that one out."

• Rondo trade: C's had to do it: Asked about Rondo's departure in December, Rivers said, "I think at the end of the day it was probably more [Rondo's] decision than Danny [Ainge] and the Celtics staff. I think [the Celtics] had to get a feel whether he wanted to play it out or not and, when you’re rebuilding, you can’t take that gamble of letting an asset out of the door and letting him become a free agent, especially in a rebuilding time. I think, in their case, they almost had to do it."

• Assessing the replacement: Stevens said he hasn't talked with Rivers very often, but the former C's coach certainly appreciates what his replacement has done. "I think he’s doing a great job, especially when you factor in all the moves they make and yet they still play the same, they still win," Rivers said. "And the fact that they still have a shot to get in the playoffs is amazing. It’s awesome."

• Eagles-eyed evaluation: Asked about Crowder, a player acquired in the Rondo swap and -- like Rivers -- a Marquette product, the Clippers coach cracked, "[Crowder is] the third- or fourth-best Marquette guy, for sure. But he’s a helluva player. He just plays hard, he’s a typical Marquette guy. ... Honestly, I love watching him play. He just plays hard, he’s a good team guy."

• Mirror image: Rivers didn't have to look far for a comparison for rookie Smart. "He reminds me of me -- a better version of me," Rivers said. "I’m serious, I really mean that. I think a better version and I’m not kidding. He’s a defensive guard, but he can score. That’s the difference. He’s a big guard, he’s not a pure point. He never really played point in college. He’s got a strong body, he’s tough. And he likes defense. He’s a really good defensive player, on the ball, off the ball, yet he’s making plays, too, offensively. I like him a lot."