Is it safe to say we have the second or third best coach in the league?

[KGs Knee]

Sporting News ranked the 16 playoff coaches prior to the playoffs and Stevens finished 5th. Ahead of him where (in order) Pop, Carlisle, Kerr, and Doc.

It's absolutely hilarious that Doc is ranked over Stevens.

Doc is a good manager of egos, and good at out of bounds plays. Other than that, he's just average. Give him great players, and he'll get solid results. Give him bad players, and he'll get poor results.

Stevens on the other hand gets the team to overperform.

Managing big egos and elite talent, and being able to bring them together as a team is an enormously difficult task.  Not many coaches can pull it off.  Doc can, and is one of the best at it.

Doc has failed as a GM, which was unsurprising.  Even the great Pop has had help in that department.  RC Buford is regarded as the best in the biz.  But Doc is an elite coach.

But I love Stevens for this Celtics team, because it requires a different set of skills.  And Stevens is a bit better at X's & O's and adapting a play style to get the most out of a bunch of role players.  It remains to be seen if Brad can get a group of big time egos to mesh, he hasn't really been tested there yet.

Let's also not forget, Doc once upon a time won COY with a marginal Orlando team that overachieved much the same way the Celtics have the last few years.

Both are very good NBA coaches who have different styles, while sharing some similar attributes.  The Celtics have been lucky to have had two really good coaches under Ainge.

[timpiker]

Another way to think about it, for this team at this time, which coach would you prefer to have?  Anyone in the world is fair game. 

Me?  Stevens hands down.

[alldaboston]

We'd stink without IT. I'm sure Stevens is a good coach. But it's waaaay more Danny and the players he gets. Without IT we'd be getting our tails kicked in the last 2 years. Stevens is replaceable.

But...but...all the haters say Danny sucks! That Danny doesn't know what he's doing! That if he/she were in charge instead of Danny, we would have had at least another championship!

We know who I'm talking about, right? Lol

[dannyboy35]

We'd stink without IT. I'm sure Stevens is a good coach. But it's waaaay more Danny and the players he gets. Without IT we'd be getting our tails kicked in the last 2 years. Stevens is replaceable.

But...but...all the haters say Danny sucks! That Danny doesn't know what he's doing! That if he/she were in charge instead of Danny, we would have had at least another championship!

We know who I'm talking about, right? Lol

I'm tired of explaining to friends/ peeps how good Danny is . I just have to shake my head when they say " yeah but Mchale gave us KG." yeah, like Mchale isn't gonna make the best deal he can for his home town team. So stupid.

[indeedproceed]

Someday I pray Jack Mccallum writes a :07 or less type book about the Stevens led Celtics. Brad Stevens has probably the most 'hype' around him outside of Greg Popovich (and rightly so) but when he gives press conferences I can only think of a buddy of mine who loves basketball but can't seem to speak in a tone that isn't kind of 'laid back nerd', which of course I like, because I am also I like to think a laid back nerd.

But his players almost to a man love the guy. Respect him. A nerdy white dude who never had a real career as a player. I would pay money in a Kickstarter to see an inside look at how that happens. Seriously. Jack McCallum, take my money!!