The Boston Celtics played the worst basketball in years in recent weeks and, of course, reporters asked Brad Stevens if he had any answers. One line of thinking is that players have started to dump Stevens, but the head coach does not believe that is the case.
Stevens was asked during a 98.5 appearance on Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” show on Thursday if he thinks players are ignoring him. He acknowledged that there is frustration, but said he is not losing the locker room.
“You will certainly go through times of the year when guys are frustrated with their own individual experiences,” said Stevens. “You will not be playing with more than five guys at the same time and you will not be playing with more than eight, nine, sometimes 10 guys in their rotation when totally healthy. So there will always be something, right? “
The Celtics have lost five of their last seven games, and three of those defeats have been against bad teams. They are now 14-14 in the season, although that is still sufficient for 5th place in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics general manager Danny Ainge appeared at 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday, and he was also asked about the idea that players are shutting down Stevens. He emphatically rejected it.
“Absolutely not. This is ridiculous,” said Ainge. “I just think this is the culture of sports and sports reporting. It’s a common theme; it should be that way if you don’t show up to play or to play with intensity and motivation. necessary to win. I don’t see any of that. “
Even though Stevens still has the respect of all his players, there must be some reason why the Celtics are fighting. They are simply too talented to be a 0.500 team.
Kemba Walker made some worrisome comments after a recent defeat that reflect poorly on the coach, which may have contributed to the narrative that Stevens is being ignored. Whatever the case, the Celtics need to play better as a team. They hardly stand a chance in the postseason with the way they’ve been playing lately.