Some in Boston claim Stevens to be a non factor when it comes to winning. Yet, despite the Pacers froth of talent, they can’t win consistently. Despite the Bulls future HOF, and All Star SF, they aren’t winning consistently. Meanwhile Brad Stevens and his 5’9” All-Star are tearing up the rest of the conference. Those who say coaching is a non-factor in the NBA ignore one important stat. The stat that 39 of the 67 NBA champions were won by Red Auerbach, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, and Phil Jackson. Those numbers indicate to me that maybe the right system is the biggest factor between who wins and who doesn’t.
Stevens is an All-Star this year, and unlike most coaches who get this honor, he deserves it. Brad Stevens is as big a reason that the Celtics are the 2 seed in the east today as anyone. Am I trying to tell you that Brad Stevens will one day be on that list with Pop and Red? No, because I can’t say that for certain. He’d need at least 5 championships to be on that list, and that’s a whole hell of a lot. What I am telling you is that coaching matters, and if you believe the Celtics need 3 All-Stars to win a championship, just know, they already have 2.
Kenny Doyle
@KennyDoyle3