Boston Celtics: Who would win? The 2008 Champions vs. Kyrie Irving’s Contenders

3) Coaching: 2018

We hate to do this to Doc Rivers, but his stint in Los Angeles makes this obvious. Brad Stevens is the new generation’s iconic coach. Since his arrival to Boston in 2013, he has simply done more with less.

In his second year as coach, he led a team with pre-All-Star Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley to a postseason appearance. In 2017, he took charge of a one-seed Celtics team…a Celtics team with a better regular season record than LeBron James.

The jury is still out on Isaiah Thomas, but if we can make a judgment at the moment, it appears that Stevens brought the best season out of him just as he does with many players.

Avery Bradley is another case of a player who was not the same after leaving Boston. Jordan Crawford, Jared Sullinger, and Phil Pressey all had their best seasons under Brad Stevens Celtics team to name a few.

It is probably true that Doc was the right coach for the 08′ team. I have never subscribed to the notion that coaching a super team is easy. There are many egos to work through and it can often end in failure (I.e. the 2012-2013 Los Angeles Lakers.) The Miami Heat even had moments of disappointment with Erik Spoelstra in charge of three potential Hall of Famers.

The difference is that Stevens has given us no reason to believe that he isn’t the right guy for any team. While Doc had talent for awhile with the Clippers, Stevens was establishing himself as an elite X’s and O’s guy with albeit good, but not championship talent. Just look at this play for example.

Stevens’  knowledge of the game has been tremendous since his college coaching days at Butler. Ainge saw his mind for the game when he hired him at 36. Stevens has only had positive comments for his leadership skills as well- a trait that Doc Rivers may edge the 41-year-old in.

"“He puts guys in position where they can be successful on the basketball court, He knows players down to a T and he does a great job of putting everybody on the court in a position to succeed. That’s what makes it much easier to play with him.” – Jae Crowder"

On the other hand, Rivers was known for his leadership over his X’s and O’s,  But with no current issues coming up with Stevens’ ability to connect with players, we should consider ourselves lucky in an era where a coach like Gregg Popovich can be frustrating to get along with (I.e. Kawhi Leonard).

I would even argue that a coach known for leadership over analytics could be a threat to a team’s complacency. The latter years of the big three had underwhelming seasons that I didn’t just chalk up to the aging roster. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen’s issues with the team that are coming out now don’t make Doc River’s connection with the locker room  look any better unfortunately.

So congratulations, Brad Stevens and the 2018-2019 Boston Celtics. This comparison shows our excitement to say the least.