Stevens takes shots
Says C’s need to be better
Brad Stevens is a generally subtle man. If one or more of his players winds up under the proverbial bus, it’s not him giving the verbal shove.
But there is no question that, while it’s still frighteningly early in the season, the coach is putting the Celtics on report for their 2-2 start.
“Like I said last night, I thought we didn’t meet their force defensively,” Stevens said in the wake of Monday’s 93-90 home loss to Orlando. “And we generated some really good looks for ourselves, but we could have done so with better tempo with all five guys.
“I thought that there were moments where we had two, three, four guys really playing at a great level and maybe one or two not. And, you know, that’s all it takes. So both ends of the court we just need to be cleaner, better and in full.”
In Bradspeak, this constitutes strong stuff.
And asked if, with the Celts shooting just 41.2 percent from the floor, it indicates they are pressing a bit, Stevens replied, “I think that’s what happens sometimes when your shots aren’t falling, but usually it’s because you’re getting outplayed.”
Boom.
The constant rattling of rims would seem to mean the Celtics have to make certain they produce the requisite intensity on defense.
“We have to be a lot better than we’ve been. I mean, it has not been a secret for a month, right? So we all know that,” Stevens said, bringing into play the ragged preseason efforts as well.
The popular theory is that the Celts are still getting used to being a targeted team, and, to that, the coach said, “I think that’s all talk. I think from a coaching standpoint, the longer you’re in it, it’s just noise. But there’s probably a reality that comes with increased responsibility. The thing I said at the beginning of the year that I believe and I’m glad is these guys are the ones that built these expectations. It wasn’t anybody else. And so it’s good to get a chance to live up to those.”
The next chance being tomorrow night in Oklahoma City. Cooz talks legacy
Celtics legend Bob Cousy took in practice with Gary
Pomerantz, author of “The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End.”
“I’ve read it,” said Stevens. “It’s really good, and for a basketball history buff, that is a must read in my eyes . . .
“Bob spoke to the team a little bit in our video room. You know, it’s the first time a lot of these guys have gotten a chance – maybe all of these guys -- have gotten a chance to sit down with him. What he shared was great. And just appreciative of him to take that time.
“I’ve said this many times before: it’s one thing to have all those banners hanging above you, but when those guys come in and they’re at a game or at a practice or whatever, you just kind of say, man, in a lot of ways we have a lot of responsibility to the uniform we’re putting on.”
Stevens said Cousy talked about “the legacy of being a Celtic, how important it is to do things the right way, the mindset you need to be great and all those things.”
Terry Rozier absorbed the message.
“It was just great,” he said. “It was just great to hear him talk, share his stories about how things were so much different back then, and just basically how this organization has so much behind it. We’re not just playing for the names on the back, we’re playing for the name on the front. We’ve got a lot to represent. So just to hear him talk and hear that again was great.”
Rozier has started in on the book.
“He’s an All-Star, champion, seven championships, and he’s still talking about how he could have did more,” he said. “So when you just hear a guy talk like that, just his unselfishness and his love for the game is just crazy. It’s something that could take you a long way. And obviously they weren’t getting the money that we’re getting back then. It’s just crazy. They set the tone for this to happen now, for the Boston Celtics to be how it is now.” Baynes works out
Aron Baynes, out against the Magic with a sore hamstring, was in his workout gear Monday.
“He did all the pre-practice lifting, light jogging and shooting, but he did not practice,” Stevens said.
Asked if Baynes would be traveling to Oklahoma City, the coach said, “I do not know that. I haven’t even asked that yet.”
After meeting the Thunder, the Celts move on to a Saturday night affair in Detroit.