Are the Celtics the worst #1 seed in NBA history?

[festeringZit]

I think brad stevens isn't a very good coach in the nba

You are in the minority.

<header class="article-header " style="box-sizing: border-box; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px; padding: 0px 20px; position: relative; z-index: 3; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Oswald, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">[h=1]Bleacher Report Ranks Brad Stevens Third Best NBA Coach[/h]
by Joshua Bateman<time datetime="2016-09-21 9:00 am" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(129, 129, 129); margin-right: 4px;">7 months ago</time>Follow @JoshSportsSpeak

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</header><section class="article-content " style="box-sizing: border-box; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px; font-family: "Titillium Web", Arial, sans-serif; padding: 20px 110px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 17px;">[h=3]Bleacher Report has recently ranked Brad Stevens as the third best coach in the NBA[/h]Brad Stevens has known nothing but renowned respect in the NBA. Last season was his first year above .500 and he is yet to escape the third round of the playoffs. And yet, he continues to be looked at as one of the elite coaches in the NBA, and Bleacher Report has him right there with the best of the best.
Only Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle were ranked higher than Stevens, and that puts him ahead of multiple championship winning coaches. The likes of Doc Rivers, Eric Spoelstra, Stan Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau have been established in the NBA for years, and yet the Celtics know their coach can stand up with each and every one of them.
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The calling card for Stevens has been his ability to get more out of the talent that is available to him. The Celtics have been rebuilding much faster than anyone could have anticipated, and that is because Stevens has managed to get more than he should out of his rosters. The Celtics have been looked at as superstar less overachievers, and a lot of the credit has gone to Stevens.
His out of timeout plays are not the only thing that makes him great, Stevens accomplished some special feats with the team last year. The Celtics were one of the worst shooting teams in the league, and yet Stevens had them playing a system that made them one of the highest scoring teams in the league. They lacked any kind of interior defense, and yet he still had one of the strongest defensive teams in the league.
Stevens has exceeded any expectations there could have been on his ability to coach in the NBA, but things have changed this season. The Celtics will no longer be overachievers. Their youth has developed, Isaiah Thomas is an All-Star and Al Horford gives them the kind of talent a team needs to be a contender in the East.

​

For the first time in his career, Stevens finally has the kind of talent he needs to see his systems fully realized. Stevens has been masterful at making adjustments, and has continually proven that he will find how to optimize what the team can do with the players they have on the court. Stevens has more options than ever before but that also means that expectations are rising.
The Celtics can no longer be the inconsistent team that lost to multiple bottom dwellers last season. The Celtics can no longer be one of the least balanced rosters in the NBA, and they can no longer have an inconsistent rotation. Stevens has already earned the respect and now he can finally demonstrate exactly why he can be seen as the third best coach in the NBA. Simply making the playoffs is no where near enough, and another first round exit would be unacceptable this season.
NEXT: How Marcus Smart Can Have a Good Season on Offense
Bleacher Report is not the only place where Stevens has been given the utmost respect, but if he does not get better results with this much improved roster, he could start to see doubters for the first time in his career. The Celtics gave Stevens his massive contract for a reason and have already extended him. Stevens is going to be at the helm for the foreseeable future and now he can properly reward the Celtics for the faith they have put into him.
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[PatsFan1283]

Bulls offense is just a lot worse without Rondo BBQing IT, quality of looks way down

Butler/Wade can win with shotmaking but they're not gonna get all those easy looks they got with him.

 

[NBAcapper08]

i think these refs are worse than either coach. guys are getting hacked and its just play on. 3 FT attempts for celtics first half?

 

[joebatters]

Butler really struggling...came to life at the end of 3rd Q, but still looks off.

 

[PatsFan1283]

He's been flat but game is a lot easier when you get a dunk on a break or open looks off a double. That gets guys going. Their PG's are now atrocious so that doesn't happen.

 

[NBAcapper08]

He's been flat but game is a lot easier when you get a dunk on a break or open looks off a double. That gets guys going. Their PG's are now atrocious so that doesn't happen.

he doesn't have a single FT attempt. the refs have been horrible this game

 

[Enfuego]

Did anyone see Rondo rocking a sleeveless suit?

 

[festeringZit]

How embarrassing not that they've just lost but blown the fuck out.

What's more embarrassing (for the Bulls) is that they are going to lose this series to the Celtics.

 

[HarryCaray]

What's more embarrassing (for the Bulls) is that they are going to lose this series to the Celtics.

Dude the Bulls are terrible. Terrrrrrrrrible. Look at who they have out on the floor.

Only embarrassment for the Bulls is the front office that assembled this joke of a roster.

 

[festeringZit]

Dude the Bulls are terrible. Terrrrrrrrrible. Look at who they have out on the floor.

Only embarrassment for the Bulls is the front office that assembled this joke of a roster.

I'm not disagreeing with you there...

 

[PatsFan1283]

Just the whole game is changed really. Weird to say that about Rondo in 2017 but vs IT he is basically the best version of himself and was keying most of their good looks.

Their other guards are all D-League caliber, can't run offense through any of them so whenever Wade/Butler get the ball it is just a wall to the rim. No driving lanes.

Then you get transition, semi-transition and you can play more shooters because Chicago isn't gonna be able to crash the boards since you are packing the paint.

I really can't recall a player going down that was so marginal and it changed the entire trajectory of the series. It's pretty cool though, I was really beating myself up emotionally for not popping the +360.

 

[PatsFan1283]

Bulls might still have an edge late in the game with Butler on IT and Butler/Wade as primary ball handlers. Just tough to play that way for the full game so they gotta get to that point.

Canaan hit a lot of 3's for the Sixers last year, but he's terrible besides that.

 

[PatsFan1283]

Celts just benched IT because he was getting destroyed on the Butler/Canaan brush screens

Surprised announcers haven't mentioned it. Just gonna overlook a team benching it's leading scorer I guess.

edit: Back in now. Should be interesting. He was getting killed.

 

[Michelangelo]

In the end IT did the killing.

Heard Danny Ainge on the radio on Friday. He said that Celtic practices had a pall over them. No joking, no looseness. Everybody was tight, not knowing how to respond in the wake of Thomas' sister's untimely death.

Looks like they've shaken free and are back to Celtic basketball.

Kudos to Brad Stevens for starting Gerald Green the last two games. Impactfull tonight for sure.

And the loss of Rondo is having a major impact on Chicago's ball movement.

Butler won't be getting 25 free throws in the Garden. Celts should get the next two.

 

[Willie99]

In the end IT did the killing.

Heard Danny Ainge on the radio on Friday. He said that Celtic practices had a pall over them. No joking, no looseness. Everybody was tight, not knowing how to respond in the wake of Thomas' sister's untimely death.

Looks like they've shaken free and are back to Celtic basketball.

Kudos to Brad Stevens for starting Gerald Green the last two games. Impactfull tonight for sure.

And the loss of Rondo is having a major impact on Chicago's ball movement.

Butler won't be getting 25 free throws in the Garden. Celts should get the next two.

I agree, they looked fucked up in those first two games, playing with a totally different mindset the last two games

 

[HarryCaray]

LOL at Celtics fans praising Brad Stevens and talking about how the Celtics have "a different mindset".

They are playing against Jimmy Butler and a bunch of D-league scrubs. Zipser, Felicio, and Bobby Portis all got double digit minutes. Bulls' big offensive spark plug was Isaiah fucking Canann. And y'all still lost quarters 2 through 4. Think about that.

My point is (other than to point out how hilarious NE fans are in general), this Celtics team is not that good and should not be lauded as such. They are just playing a terrible team that had to beat a resting Nets team on the final day of the season to squeak into the playoffs in the East...and then lost their PG.

Celtics basketball...lol, sheesh, gimme a break. It's an embarrassment that they even lost a game in this series much less 2 home games.

If they play Washington next round and the Wiz are + money it will likely be the biggest wager I've ever made.

 

[michael777]

Isaiah fucking Canann You are right HC

 

[festeringZit]

LOL at Celtics fans praising Brad Stevens and talking about how the Celtics have "a different mindset".

They are playing against Jimmy Butler and a bunch of D-league scrubs. Zipser, Felicio, and Bobby Portis all got double digit minutes. Bulls' big offensive spark plug was Isaiah fucking Canann. And y'all still lost quarters 2 through 4. Think about that.

My point is (other than to point out how hilarious NE fans are in general), this Celtics team is not that good and should not be lauded as such. They are just playing a terrible team that had to beat a resting Nets team on the final day of the season to squeak into the playoffs in the East...and then lost their PG.

Celtics basketball...lol, sheesh, gimme a break. It's an embarrassment that they even lost a game in this series much less 2 home games.

If they play Washington next round and the Wiz are + money it will likely be the biggest wager I've ever made.

I'm not sure what you are referring to, saying that NE fans are hilarious in general...

I'm a huge Celtics fan, but I can't get excited about watching this team play. Other than Isaiah, they're just a bunch
of average to pretty good players. Al Horford in my mind is way overpaid, and a disappointment - he's just not the
player that he was hyped to be.

I wish there was some more talent in the east, so that the Cavs wouldn't coast into the finals...

 

[HarryCaray]

I'm not sure what you are referring to, saying that NE fans are hilarious in general...

Yes you do.

 

[PatsFan1283]

Celts had tons of cap room and Horford was a huge upgrade over zeller/sullinger.

I guess media/fans hyped him up perhaps but Ainge, etc just saw him as an easy upgrade to the worst part of last years team.