BOSTON -- Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said during a return trip to Boston on Wednesday night that he phoned Brad Stevens almost immediately after the Boston Celtics hired him and asked Stevens to take over Rivers' role with the local ABCD charity.

Two years later, Rivers still makes the annual summer trek back to Boston for the program's Hoops Dreams fundraiser -- and to enjoy the city in its late-summer glory.

"Oh, it’s awesome. Every year we do this: I come back a couple days early and get my golf in, go to my restaurants and just kinda hang out,” Rivers said Wednesday at TD Garden. "The charity thing is nice. It’s just a good group and you wanna just keep doing it.

"I’m so happy with Brad. Like, one of the first things when I decided to leave and the Celtics hired him, I called him and said, 'Hey, I need a favor.' He was like, ‘What?” I said, 'I need you to take over this for me' and he’s done that. He’s been great.”

Rivers is also a fan of Stevens’ work in getting Boston back to the playoffs in only two seasons.

"I can’t imagine coming to this franchise and never coaching in the NBA -- that’s not the easiest gig,” said Rivers. "He’s done it very well. He’s a terrific coach. He runs terrific stuff. And I thought this year, after all the trades, you could see he had a group of guys that believed in him and you can see the difference in their play. That’s huge."

Rivers was asked if he could have imagined enduring the rebuilding process and all the trades the Celtics have facilitated the past two seasons.

"In Orlando, we had one of those years, my first year -- I think we made 39 trades through the year and we kept winning," said Rivers. "I think what it does is, the guys who stayed, it gives you hope, it gives you belief in the system, and I think that’s what Brad did. I thought this was a breakthrough in that way for them."