Jared Sullinger: Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens 'built' to pick teams apart with playoff adjustments

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Jared Sullinger: Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens 'built' to pick teams apart with playoff adjustments






Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday, April 15, 2015, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)


mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on April 17, 2015 at 2:40 PM





WALTHAM - Two days before opening a playoff series as a heavy underdog against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens stressed efficiency of preparation.

He knows the Cavaliers can be hell to defend. He considers their superstar, LeBron James, the best basketball player in the world. To help the Celtics compete, Stevens wants them to tap back into everything that caused their second-half push.

"We just need to continue to be us," Stevens said Friday before practice. "And I think if we play well, we'll have a chance."

Making his first NBA postseason appearance, Stevens said he has spent the past couple of days trying to get all his thoughts about Cleveland onto "one page." In other words, he is learning everything he can about his opponent, but wants to focus only on what's most important. Boston's coach even whipped out one of his favorite quotes, which he attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

"I want to do as much as we need to and as little as we need to," Stevens said. "My old boss used to quote Abraham Lincoln: 'I apologize for the length of this letter. I didn't have time to write a short one.' We've gotta figure out how to make this as concise as possible because we have to play with a clear mind to play well. I think that's a huge part of this."

If Honest Abe were still around, he might note that the Cavaliers should have the three best players in the series, plus an offense that led the league after James returned from injury on Jan. 13. Knowing how powerful the Cleveland attack can be, Stevens said transition defense will be a key.

"LeBron, (Kevin) Love, (Kyrie) Irving, those guys are all capable of going for huge games and J.R. Smith is too," Stevens said. "So there's all kinds of issues with this. Clearly LeBron's - I don't think anybody would argue - the best player in the game. You could argue who the MVP of the season is. I guess you could argue it. But I kind of always go back to who's the best player in the game. And he's the best one. Kyrie's had a 55-point game. Kevin Love has been one of the best scorers in the league for a few years. They've got all kinds of people they can go to."

Given all that, preparing for Cleveland is no easy task.

"I think you're just looking at it from the standpoint of, what do you think you'll be able to do best?" explained Stevens. "What do you think will be their go-to type things? And you try to make it as difficult as possible. We can talk all we want about - we could know LeBron's catching it on the wing. Stopping him's a whole different story. So I think that's the (goal). How do we make it as difficult as possible? Because they're a great team with a lot of options."

"The players are always the ones that ultimately make the plays," Stevens said. "We try to help create things to help put them in best position to utilize their strengths. And we'll continue to try to do that. And Cleveland will try to take that away. And we'll try to do that as well. So that's why you have to constantly adjust, that's why you have to figure out the next best step. At the end of the day, these guys have seen a lot of different looks throughout the year. We have a little bit more corporate knowledge than we did, as we continue to progress. And so hopefully we'll be able to look back and adjust quickly. I think that's the biggest thing. But again, I don't think we can overstate: we might know LeBron's going to get the ball someplace, but doing something about it is totally different."

Being outmatched in talent is nothing new to these Celtics, who still finished the regular season with a 24-12 push, including a six-game winning streak they will take into the playoffs.

"We're competitors," said Jared Sullinger. "We're not about to sit here and lay down and give you a game. We know if we play a certain way, we handle our business, we always have a chance. You always have a chance in this league. The way they prepare us to win, the way we prepare ourselves to win, the way we're totally unselfish, that's the biggest thing."

"I feel like we're the most fundamental team when it comes to fundamentals of the game. We don't have to rely on one or two people to carry us through a game. Our system spits out who's scoring depending on how you defend us. There's going to be times where Isaiah (Thomas is) going to have a big night. There's going to be times where Avery (Bradley) has a big night. There's going to be times where ET (Evan Turner) has a big night. There's going to be times where (Marcus) Smart or (Brandon) Bass -- however you want to go, at some point, out of the guys we have on this court, somebody led us in scoring. And I think that's the biggest thing."

The Celtics certainly have faith in their coach, too.

"It's going to be his first playoffs," Sullinger said. "He had two great runs at Butler. At the end of the season, they were just playing their best basketball and got to the national championship twice. I think he's kind of built for these moments. The way he prepares throughout the season really is helpful. And then on top of that, to be able to see a team for possibly four to seven games, he's going to pick you apart. That's where he's at his best."

This will come as no surprise, but Stevens does not plan to use the increased stakes as motivation.

"If they don't know that...." he said.

After trailing off for emphasis, the coach continued, "I don't think we need to use it. I usually actually go the other way. It's about playing well. It's not about the stakes. It's not about who's watching. It's not about the distractions. It's about what happens between 94 and 50. That's it."

"This is just like when you're coaching in college, the NCAA tournament kind of what drives you. This is what drives you as a coach and a player," Stevens said. "And obviously, to get a chance to do it against the very best, and against a team that a lot of people think will have a great chance to win it, it's a great opportunity for all of us. It's a great opportunity for the staff, the players, everybody."




bob




.

(1) No back-to-backs (thus opportunities for practices or, at least, walk throughs

(2) The opportunity to make finely tuned game-to-game adjustments because of playing the same team (and getting to know them very well)as many as seven consecutive times

(3) No need for red-eye flight because of the spacing of games and the relatively short flight time between Boston and Cleveland

(4) Thus the premium in terms of adjustments is on in-game adjustments, and I'll take Brad in that department.

Here's a question.  Which of the two teams is more likely to have more surprises for the other during the course of the entire series?

Sam