Most fans of the Boston Celtics fondly remember how Doc Rivers, who now plied his trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, coached the iconic 2008 squad to a championship over Kobe Bryant and their bitter rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the last time the Celtics lifted the title, and the Boston faithful certainly appreciates Rivers' contributions to the franchise — regardless of the fact that he's now with the Sixers.

Despite how he remains to be a celebrated figure in Celtics folklore, you can be sure that Boston fans won't be doing Doc Rivers any favors in the second-round playoff battle between the Celtics and the Sixers. In fact, even Rivers himself knows that he's taken the role of the enemy now:

“I’m the arch enemy as far as my team,” Rivers said, via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (paywalled). “It’s a weird dynamic, for sure. It’s weird, but that part doesn’t ever go away. It’s just now they want to beat that same guy, which is a little weird.”

When asked if he felt he was going to get a warm reception upon his return to Boston, Rivers got brutally honest with his response:

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“Oh, no. I’m with the Sixers,” Rivers said. “I don’t know one way or the other how it will be. It will be mixed like it always is now. There will be fans who appreciate that.

“But what I love about the Boston fans and the Philly fans, I think they will both do it. Wherever you are at, they may give you, ‘Hey we love you, but let’s kick his [expletive].’ That’s cool. That’s the way it is.”

Doc Rivers clearly understands what it means to be on the opposite side of the fence, and he has no issue with it. He doesn't expect anything less from Celtics fans as the pleasantries are set aside throughout what should be an epic series between these two teams.