As the Boston Celtics prepare to host the Dallas Mavericks on the holiday celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., coach Doc Rivers and guard Ray Allen spoke eloquently Sunday about what the day means to them.

“It means a lot,” said Rivers. "It’s funny, in a sad way, [King's death was] the first day I’ve ever seen my dad cry. Martin Luther King’s death was the first time I actually had ever heard of Martin Luther King. I was in the second grade and I was oblivious to the world at the time. I came home and I remember my dad and my grandfather were sitting on the couch and they were both crying. I knew it was important. My dad was a tough Chicago cop that doesn’t cry, and then I remember watching the riots and everything on the television. So, obviously, for a second-grader, that had a tremendous impact. From that point on, you immerse yourself in studying about him. I don’t know if that’s the best way to hear about him the first time, but it’s probably the most impactful way to do it.”

Rivers expressed great pride in the fact that the NBA will feature 12 games tonight on the holiday.

"I think it's terrific what [the league has] done," said Rivers. "I think back when I played -- and I hate to say it that way because it sound like I'm ancient, and maybe I am -- in that day and time, we had only one game, that I remember. Now I like that a lot of teams celebrate this. It's good, it forces history on some of the guys."

And if the holiday doesn't, both Rivers and Allen plan to educate the Celtics. Rivers notes that he typically speaks on the importance of the day any time the Celtics play on a noteworthy date. Allen started quizzing his teammates last week about history.

“The other day I asked a question when we were having a shootaround at John Jay University in New York," said Allen. "They had a banner of all the schools that had played there and Medgar Evers College was one of them. I asked [my teammates] if they know who Medgar Evers was. A lot of them didn't. He wasn't as popular at Martin Luther King, but he’s somebody who was just as important to the civil rights movement."

Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi who was murdered in 1963.

"I think as we get older and the years go by and the players get younger as they come into this league, there is a disconnect from the 1940's and 50's and 60's," said Allen. "And I’m not sure what history is being taught in schools growing up or even in college, but I do think the young players probably don’t know as much as we probably all should.”

Said Rivers: "We all worry about history, not just black history, that, when our kids don’t study it or understand it, you tend to repeat it. But more importantly, I just think understanding the history gives them a sense of themselves and what people have gone through before them. I think a lot of the young generation at times takes a lot of things for granted and I think history allows you not to take things for granted anymore I think that’s why history is so important.”

Allen said he'll take some time to reflect on Dr. King before Monday's game.

"It's a day that I'll really think about the great leaders of the past in this country," said Allen. "Not necessarily just great black leaders, but all great leaders. Some like Martin Luther King Jr. is such an important part of history. I think, as a young black man, where would I be if not for him? A lot of times I'll go to a restaurant in a major city and just reflect back on what it might have been like if I lived 50-60 years earlier. I thank God for the people that struggled, fought, and pioneered for us."