Doc doesn't think fights will stop until the instigator starts getting punished.

Not even Kevin Garnett was surprised by the suspension handed to him yesterday because of his elbow to Quentin Richardson’s mug (“No, I wasn’t surprised at all, to be honest,” was Garnett’s reaction).

Doc Rivers wasn’t surprised, either, but wants the NBA to change how they look at similar altercations in the future. (ESPNBoston)

“My only statement on the whole thing, I accept Kevin being suspended, if you go by the letter of the law, you kinda knew it was going to go that way,” said Rivers. “But if your really want to stop the fights, you gotta suspend the agitator, too. I think right now, the agitator gets fined, the retaliator gets suspended in all these things. Until they stop the agitator, and fine them, and suspend them both, then you’ll have these things.”

Garnett agreed with Rivers that Richardson was the instigator, saying, “You know how it goes. The person that usually instigates something is not the one that usually gets the penalty. But it’s over. It’s what it is. We’ve both been dealt with.”

While Garnett didn’t speak much about the suspension, he did say he wanted his part in the scuffle to send a message.

“Whoever it is, my teammates, [Celtics coach] Doc Rivers, or anyone in the organization, I want them to know I got their back.”