The Boston Celtics are a team on the rise, but Brad Stevens is not the reason why. There are plenty of naysayers calling him out for his lack of Celtics pride, and it does not help that the team is well above .500. One of the most notable quotes from Stevens came this week when he was asked about the recent struggles of Isaiah Thomas.
The Boston Celtics have had a rough start to the season, with a loss to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers followed by a blowout loss to the lowly Indiana Pacers. They have a new coach in Brad Stevens, and they also had an impressive trade that sent out two of their best players from last year. Boston has been a formidable team in the East on paper, but they have yet to live up to expectations.
The Boston Celtics are about to enter their second season after a miserable first season. It probably won’t get any better for them when they face the second-ranked (and overworked) Brooklyn Nets in their first game on Saturday. Coach Brad Stevens knows what his team faces, and a former Boston player recently criticized him for his lack of Celtic pride when addressing the opposition.Brad Stevens and the Celtics put themselves in a tough spot
Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens reacts during the second half of a playoff game against the Washington Wizards at TD Garden on the 18th. May 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo: Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images) COMPARED TO: Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens makes shocking $70 million decision The Celtics have been perhaps the most disappointing team in the NBA this year. With two All-Stars in Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum, the team hovered around .500 all season and stuck at 36-36 at the end of the season shortened by lockouts. Boston needed a win in the playoff race for seventh place, ensuring a meeting with the very talented Nets. The season was marred by a series of disappointments from players, coaches and general manager Danny Ainge. At one point, Ainge took responsibility for this lack of success, saying he hadn’t done a good job putting the team together. Kemba Walker criticized the players for their lack of commitment after the loss. Brown, who is out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury, also showed his frustration, perhaps with Stevens. After the mid-season loss, Brown was asked about the team’s ball movement. After a long pause, he simply said: No comment.
Stevens is tackled by former Celtics player Kendrick Perkins
. RELATIVE: Jalen Brown’s 10 seconds of silence paint a bleak picture for the Boston Celtics Kendrick Perkins, former Celtics player and current NBA analyst, has been critical of the team all season. In addition to his work for ESPN, Perkins also beat the Celtics for NBC Sports Boston. He recently lashed out at Stevens after the coach spoke about the first-round game against the Nets. According to Boston’s WEEI television station, Stevens praised his opponent. It’s hard to see these guys lose, Stevens said. These guys are the best of the best. He continued: Brooklyn is probably the most talented team I’ve put together since I’ve been in the NBA. While all of this is true, these comments have not made Perkins popular. In a -First-Take-performance, Perkins lashed out at the coach. If you like Brooklyn so much, why don’t you coach them? I played eight and a half years for the Boston Celtics. It’s a city of champions. They have what is called Celtic pride. This was not the pride of the Celts. I wouldn’t want to play Brad Stevens. I can’t go to war against a coach who praises an opponent I could potentially upset.
Perkins was not the only one who openly criticized Stevens
. COMPARED TO: Danny Ainge talks about the harsh realities of the struggling Boston Celtics While Perkins was abusing Stevens, he wasn’t alone. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN did this earlier this year, but he wasn’t as direct. Smith begins his statement by saying that Stevens knows what he’s doing as a coach. He wasn’t sure he had the leadership skills to control NBA players. Are you the kind of person who can rally the troops and maximize the potential around you? Smith said in February. He knows what he’s doing, but I’m talking about the leader among men who is able to pull something out of you that you may not even know you have in you. The big, big coaches have found a way to do this for years. There’s something to be said for setting aside the X’s and O’s as a coach, because everyone knows what the other person is doing. I haven’t seen it yet. I think you’ll be hearing a lot about Brad Stevens if this continues. You’ll hear a lot about why we were so excited about Brad Stevens. They have Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum. It’s basketball, and with two of those top players, you don’t have to be a .500 team.
