Brad Stevens will coach Eastern Conference All-Stars
Brad Stevens and his staff will join Isaiah Thomas in New Orleans for All-Star weekend.
Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas will be getting some company in New Orleans later this month as Brad Stevens was named the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars on Friday evening.
All-Star coaches are chosen based on the overall standings through Feb. 5. in each conference. No team can send a coach to the All-Star game for two consecutive seasons, disqualifying Cavs coach Ty Lue from consideration for 2016-17 despite his team having the best overall record in the East. The Celtics clinched the No. 2 spot in the East through Sunday with a win over the Lakers, which secured the coaching spot for Stevens and his staff.
“I think the one thing that’s nice about that — well, first of all, it should be Ty Lue,” Stevens explained. “But the way the rules work then it’s the next-best record, because he did it last year. But what’s nice about it is, there’s no politics in it. There’s no subjectivity.
“It’s what your team has accomplished. And that’s a credit to the players in the locker room. I almost feel bad that I’m the one that’s going. I’d rather have another one or two of [Boston’s players] playing in it. But our staff will really enjoy it, and our staff’s kids will really enjoy it. And we’ll go from there.”
It will be the first All-Star appearance for Stevens during his fourth season as an NBA head coach. The 40-year-old has amassed a record of 80-52 over the past year and a half for Boston, putting him in the conversation among the league’s elite head coaches.
Stevens avoided taking much credit for the successful 32-18 start to the Celtics 2016-17 season and instead praise his staff and players for the team’s play.
“I think none of us are crazy enough to think you get there without really good players, and the players certainly carry the coaches. That’s been the way it’s always been,” Stevens said. “But with regard to the staff, I think our staff works really hard. I’ve said before that I’ve tried to prioritize hiring humble, hardworking and intelligent people. They put in a lot of time and effort, and so it’s nice that they’re going to be a part of that, as well.”
Jae Crowder echoed that sentiment after Friday’s win over the Lakers.
“That’s big for [the coaches],” Crowder said of the honor. “They put a lot of work into it. There’s no finer way to show appreciation as a team than to send those guys to a thing like an All-Star Game.”
