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Why Brad Stevens Should Be Coach Of The Year

By Stephen Varnum

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Mar 14, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens on the sidelines against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston defeats Indiana 93-89. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics are three games away from the playoffs, thanks to a win against LeBron and the Cavaliers…And I am freakin’ excited! Coach Brad Stevens has his crew hitting on all cylinders at the right time.  As of the beginning of last night, the Celtics are the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers and one and a half games ahead of the Miami Heat. Here’s a snapshot of the standings before last night’s games –

The funny part is that the Celtics were picked to finish 27th out of the 30 NBA teams in the 2014-2015 NBA Preseason rankings by the infamously stupid Marc Stein(No punches pulled here at Hardwood Houdini). Despite all kinds of encouragement from Marc Stein and ESPN, two years later, Coach Stevens is exceeding expectations in year two.

We are now in a position to make some noise in the wide open Eastern Conference; and better yet, we have the opportunity to stick in the seventh seed and play LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  And history says that LeBron is a whopping 0-2 in the Celts vs Cavs playoff series. Who wouldn’t want to see this type of atmosphere again???

Toughest Job In The League(Well, besides the Knicks Job)

Before I look too far ahead, I wanted to give the respect to Brad Stevens that he deserves.  Two years ago, Brad Stevens did what every other college coach is too afraid to do: Make the jump from college to the pros successfully.

There have only been a few success stories – Larry Brown, P.J. Carlisimo, and Jack Ramsey.  That is it! Every other coach, yes even Kentucky’s Coach Cal, pretty much ended up as duds in the NBA.

So the odds that Stevens would have success this early was very, very small.  The guy was hired at age 36 years of age and came from a run-of-the-mill, mid-major college town in Indiana. The Celtics shouldn’t be in position to make the playoffs.  They were supposed to be like the Lakers this year, in the running for the number one pick to continue to rebuild.

I mean he was signed to a six year, $22 million contract for a reason.  Danny Ainge and the crew expected that Stevens would have some tough beginning years.

Apr 1, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens reacts during the first half against the Indiana Pacers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

And year one, was obviously a struggle.  With a total of twenty different players on the roster, ten different starting lineups, and injuries to their best players(Rondo, Sully, Bradley, KO), Stevens was in for it.  And it was even worse the beginning of year two, this 2014-2015 season.  Our Captain, Rajon Rondo, was traded for role players, and Jeff Green was traded for cap space.  Stevens didn’t know who would be on his team:

That tweet is right, 44 different players! That has to be a record! Despite all those odds, Stevens now has a consistent core that has been healthy to practice, work, and play together and it shows in their performances.

The Dude’s Statistics Back Him Up

The Celtics can score…yes, I said the Celtics can score! Unlike the last 5-7 years of the Big Three Era, the Celtics offense is a thing of beauty.  Here is a rundown of our STATS this year and how it compares to our Championship 2008 season-

[table id=31 /]

Now to be fair to our former champs, the 2008 Celtics were also one of the best defensive teams of all time.  Our 2014-2015 Celtics are definitely not.  But, our offense is better than those 2008 Celtics thanks to the genius of Brad Stevens.

He Maximizes NBA Talent

Checkout these clips displaying some classic Celtics plays that Coach Stevens has drawn up –

Those are just a few of the plays that make him one of the most exciting young talents in the NBA.  We definitely weren’t saying this about him last year…what has changed?  I mean most of the guys on the squad have been on the team for most of Brad’s two years, from 2013-2015.  But this time, the mainstays are healthy, playing together, and have the ability to learn all the plays Brad has drawn out for them.  And Brad has drawn out some perfect plays for the assets that he has at this disposal.

Apr 4, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36), forward Kelly Olynyk (41, guard Evan Turner (11) celebrate with team mates after beating Toronto Raptors 117-116 in overtime at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Those assets include versatile players like Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko, both who can play the three, four, and five positions while being able to shoot the three and still set formidable screens. To players like Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley, two guys who can D and three. All the way to a guy like Evan Turner, who can dance with the best of them, putting on one-on-one moves and taking on the role as late game closer for the C’s.  Brad has the innate ability to get the most out of his players in his system.

Well, what is his system you may ask? It’s actually a basic form of motion offense.  Every set play contains a few off-ball and back screens, to a catch, turn, pass, cut, and then ball screen.  Tons of counters, even more cuts, and ball movement.

No one player dominates the ball. That is why the Celtics average so many assists and are actually fun to watch this year.  This is a stark contrast to the pick and roll offense Doc Rivers and Rajon Rondo thrived in.  Check out some of these plays Coach Stevens has drawn up-

credit to coaching pintar

That first set is ran 10-15 times a game.  Usually when Bradley and a shooting five and four combo like Sully, Bass, or KO are in the game.  The point will have the ball on one side, the five screens for the shooter, Bradley, where the point can pass to him for a shot, wait for the back-screen for the five for an easy lay-up, or pass back outside for a jump shot for the four.  Lots of options there.

The second set is ran a lot for Marcus Smart and Evan Turner.  The three would be Smart or Turner.  When they get the ball off the off-ball screens, the four or five will set a ball screen. From here the dribbler can take it to the hoop, pass to the screener, or pass back out for a three.  Very tough to defend.

Nothing too crazy, but if executed with unselfish, versatile players, it can look like the best offense in the league! Off-ball screens are very hard to guard when the screener is a shooter.  The defender has to pick his poison.  Do I stay with the cutter or do I give an open shot to the big man?  Those are decisions that the defenders have to deal with every time they matchup against the Boston Celtics.

Jan 19, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens looks at the play board against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Defenders also have to cover almost all five positions on the court.  Brad loves him some small ball and about 80-90% of the time, all five guys on the court can make a three point shot.  Analytics tells him three and defense wins, and that is what Brad has preached all season.

This mentality has our Celtics three games away from returning to the playoffs despite having a combined roster average age of 24 years.  That is ridiculous! I know Steve Kerr and some other definitely deserve consideration, but the job Stevens has done has been nothing short of a miracle with what he has had to work with.

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