Most people feel it is only a matter of time before Brad Stevens wins a championship with the Boston Celtics, and one of the greatest coaches of all time has clearly joined that chorus.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was spotted sitting courtside at several Celtics games this season, did not hold back while praising Stevens after Boston’s loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday.
“Coach Stevens is incredible,” Belichick told Greg Bedard of BostonSportsJournal.com. “He always points out that the players are the ones who, regardless of the situation, have made this a special team, defying all expectations and adversity game after game after game. But he clearly is a driving force behind it. Coach Stevens is a phenomenal person, leader, teacher and strategist, and the job he does is a model for all coaches.”
Football fans would tell you those comments are a bit ironic, as Belichick always deflects the praise onto his players and never takes credit for his team’s accomplishments. It’s easy to be reminded of Belichick when watching the way Stevens handles himself with the media (minus the constant snark), and that probably isn’t a coincidence.
We already know how Stevens is going to feel about being praised by Belichick, but the young coach deserves it. Boston’s season ended on a disappointing note, but they really had no business making that deep of a playoff run without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. There are few coaches in sports who are more respected than Stevens right now.
