Brad Stevens’ Lack of Drama is a Blessing for Boston
Celtics fans everywhere should be grateful for Brad Stevens’ ability to defuse dramatic situations with relative ease
After the Boston Celtics’ loss to the LA Clippers, star point guard Isaiah Thomas sounded off to the media about the team’s “experimentation” with lineups late in the third quarter.
Isaiah Thomas did not seem excited about lineups. Didn't say that specifically, but said, "We can't be experimenting in Game 63."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) March 7, 2017
What Thomas was referring to was when Jordan Mickey and James Young shared the court for extended minutes in the third quarter against the Clippers. In this brief stint, Jamal Crawford took over the game, and the Celtics lead had vanished. Thomas had reason to be upset. He left the game with the lead and returned to a completely different scene.
However, the comments weren’t necessary. The Celtics were without Al Horford and Jonas Jerebko, and Brad Stevens didn’t have much else to work with. Thomas apologized today for Monday nights outburst, saying he didn’t mean to throw anyone under the bus.
Isaiah Thomas said he wasn't trying to throw anybody under the bus. Said he knows he needs to do a better job of reacting to frustration
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) March 8, 2017
The national media attempted to make a huge deal out of this of course. “A star player speaking out against his coach,” attracts speculation like a magnet. Stevens, as he has always done, reacted with poise, maturity, and rationale.
Brad Stevens on IT’s comments: "I didn’t lose any sleep over it.” pic.twitter.com/JDHmcQYdul
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) March 8, 2017
Stevens is already considered one of the best coaches in the NBA, and he’s only into his fourth season leading the Celtics. The way he reacted to his star player’s comments shows how well he is equipped to be a great coach in this league for a long time.
This isn’t the first time this year that Stevens has dealt with an emotional player. In early January, Jae Crowder erupted on twitter after he accused Boston fans of cheering for Jazz swing man Gordon Hayward. When reporters asked Stevens about it, he addressed with transparency and assurance that everything is fine with the team.
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His calm approach to dealing with controversy is how the entire Celtics roster respects him. This is why Thomas reached out to Stevens right away after his comments were possibly offensive to his coach.
Celtics fans should feel very fortunate for the calm nature of their head coach compared to what other teams have to deal with. There has been a lot of drama throughout the NBA this season revolving around disgruntled players and egotistical coaches and front office executives. Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and the Lakers have had drama within their respective organizations due to the lack of respect players have for their superiors.
Next: Isaiah Thomas and the Place of Experimentation
As the Celtics continue to add talent, and develop bigger expectations, the spotlight will be focused in on Stevens. He’ll have to answer for every move he makes. Boston fans can feel comfortable with the fact that Stevens is well equipped to handle that criticism, like superstar head coached Gregg Poppovich and Steve Kerr.