So far, Boston fans have little to complain about this season. The team is likable, tough, cohesive. Kemba Walker slid right into the role formally held by Kyrie Irving and there hasn’t been a drop off. In fact, Walker’s more team friendly demeanor elevated the Celtics where Irving kept them down the year prior.
The Celtics sit prettily at 38-16, FiveThirtyEight.com projects them to finish with 57 wins, good for the second best record in the eastern conference. They’ve beaten Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Los Angles Lakers and Clippers. Hayward in the last 22 contests averaged 17.9 points and is closely resembling the Hayward of his glory days in Utah. The Jays are bonafide All-Stars – despite Tatum being the only one of the two to make it.
But, everything is not perfect. Before you ask, yes. I am a miserable fuck.
Throughout the season, even as the wins pile up I cannot help but ponder if Brad Stevens is a good coach. His sloppy management of rotations, reliance on Enes Kanter, and reluctance to play the young guys like Green, Romeo and Grant. Recently, prior to the All-Star break, Stevens played Jaylen Brown despite him nursing a strained ankle. In late-January, Stevens and the Celtics threw caution to the wind and risked a serious injury to one of their stars. It’s an indictment on the training staff and the head coach no doubt about that.
Whenever there’s an expected, ugly loss, Stevens gives this “Ah, Shucks, we’ll just have to play better” routine he’s been doing for over a year and has pissed me off. We continuously run into the same pitfalls and Stevens seemingly has no clue.
