BOSTON -- With all of these reports about veteran players wanting to join the Celtics, it is only natural to ask: What makes joining the Celtics so appealing other than the fact that they are the defending world champions?

"What's appealing is that we play together," coach Doc Rivers said Saturday at practice. "We have three stars and they play together and I think that shows."

"Coming here you get to fit and be a part in the wheel," guard Ray Allen added. "We have other players here that have won championships, All-Star players, we have a mix of both and we have guys here that welcome help. Our egos, we are pretty unselfish on this team when it comes to playing basketball. We just want to win. I think the teams that have played against us, the players that have played against us see that. It's not about any one individual here on this team. We play together."