Celtics icon Robert Parish pumps brakes on Brad Stevens praise: 'Win something first'

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-icon-robert-parish-pumps-brakes-brad-stevens-praise-win-something-first-033827490.html

We have officially reached the saturation point of the Brad Stevens love fest.

The Boston coach has been heaped with praise for guiding the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals while playing much of the season and all of the playoffs without Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving.

Some think the accolades are too much, including LeBron James who told NESN that the acclaim for Stevens is “a little bit overblown.” For the record, James said that before he and his Cleveland Cavaliers got owned by the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Robert Parish: Call me when Brad Stevens has rings

Now there’s Celtics on Celtics crime. Hall of Famer Robert Parish, who won three NBA titles with Boston alongside Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, isn’t buying the hype for Stevens. His beef is that Stevens, 41, hasn’t won multiple NBA championships.

“I think he gets a little too much praise, but I like what he’s doing,” Parish said on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “They’re giving him all the love like he won three or four championships. Come on now. Win something first, with all the love he’s getting.

“Now granted, don’t get me wrong, he’s a solid coach. I’ll give him that. The love he’s getting from the media, you’d think the Celtics won two or three championships. You would think.”

Not Parish’s first controversial Celtics take

That is a hot take, indeed, coming from a Celtics icon in the midst of a red-hot Boston playoff run. It’s not the first time Parish has taken on a controversial Celtics opinion.

Parish told reporters ahead of Paul Pierce’s jersey retirement in February that he believed Pierce to be the best offensive player in team history. Again, Parish won three championship playing alongside Larry Bird.

Parish anointing Stevens as a “solid coach” right now while calling him out for zero rings when he’s had the Celtics ahead of schedule at almost every juncture of his five-year tenure is borderline absurd.

It’s also candid and entertaining and a welcome addition to the NBA playoffs dialogue.



My comments:

Use the link and read some of the comments. Here's a sample:

I heard the entire interview live and yes he said what he said but the bottom line was, he was not putting Brad down by no means. His comments were mainly directed toward the media.
Him saying Brad deserves a lot of praise but feels that he’s receiving too much praise is hardly a knock on Brad in my opinion. And he didn’t “knock him” for not having any rings”.
Yeah I too would rather hear and see him waving the green flag but then it wouldn’t be Robert and it wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.
However, The best quote from the entire interview was when he was asked how he would’ve guarded Embiid. The Chief said “I would’ve run his jockstrap off. The dude wasn’t in shape after he got hurt and he wasn’t in shape before he got hurt. Man, I’d run his jockstrap off”!

Bill Doyle
Bill Doyle @BillDoyle15
58 minutes ago
Houston's James Harden, Golden State's Kevin Durant and Cleveland's LeBron James all make first-team All-NBA, but no one from other team still playing, the Celtics, made All-NBA first-, second-, or third-team. Brad Stevens should be Coach of the Year.


bob



.

Far to much value placed on the ring - all at the expense of down playing what may be an outstanding job of coaching a group of very young players deep into the playoffs.

swish

Stevens has done a remarkable job since arriving in Boston, but he seems to care very little about accolades such as COY. This type of attitude is probably just another reason that his players like him so much and play so well for him.