Jackie MacMullan has a fabulous expose on the genius behind Brad Stevens. I highly recommend reading the entire column, but if you don’t have the 5 minutes, here are some excerpts.
On where he gets his plays
Indeed, Stevens has culled his material from a variety of sources: college, the pros, the international game, the women’s tournament. He once used a play he stole from Yugoslavia in the 2002 World Championships.
“I consider myself the biggest thief out there,” Steven says. He says some of the actions he runs for center Kelly Olynyk, for instance, come directly out of the Dallas Mavericks‘ playbook for Dirk Nowitzki.
His coaching style
“Meanwhile, Brad tells me under his breath, ‘That was a bulls— play,”’ Turner says. “He’s on our ass all the time. He just doesn’t rag us publicly.”
Another example: Earlier this season, Marcus Smart committed a cardinal Stevens sin: spinning under a screen instead of going over it.
“He let me know in a way only Brad would: in the huddle, out of sight,” Smart says. “He’ll grab you and still have that calm face on, but what he’s saying isn’t calm.”
His competitive nature
As for his seemingly unflappable demeanor, they claim their coach is demonstratively competitive, whether in a shooting contest after practice or a heated game of Rack-O with his wife, Tracy. Former Butler player Ronald Nored, who briefly lived with the Stevens family while he was on the Celtics’ coaching staff, reports Stevens “wanted to destroy Tracy and me in every one of those Rack-O games.”
Rack-O?
Stevens has made tremendous strides in his 3 seasons. He’s a masterful tactician and motivator who has quickly gained the respect of his peers. The only thing left is the winning.
Someone print out this story and get it to Al Horford and Kevin Durant.
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