Billy Donovan discusses a visit from Bill Belichick and the Celtics’ struggle to repeat as champions
Belichick stopped by Donovan's press conference in Chicago after attending the game Monday night.
Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick was at the United Center for the Bulls’ win against the Nuggets Monday night.
The UNC football coach also hung around after the game to speak to the Bulls, Chicago coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday.
“I think he was meeting with some people that were Carolina fans, graduates, alumni, boosters,” Donovan said. “You know, he and I have had a long relationship. He was really, really gracious with his time with me when I was at Florida.
“We spent a lot of time. He spoke to several of our teams,” Donovan added. “When Florida had their Pro Day in football, it was generally around the SEC, NCAA Tournament so he was always in for that and spoke to our team.”
The relationship continued after Donovan transitioned to the NBA, Donovan said.
“We just maintained contact for a pretty long period of time, so he just texted me that he was going to be in town and wanted to come by and say hello,” Donovan said. “So he came by before the game and waited until after the game to talk for a little bit. He’s been a good friend and certainly really gracious with me with his time.”
Donovan won a pair of national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2007 with a squad that included Boston’s Al Horford and longtime Bulls big man Joakim Noah. He left to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder a decade ago and has been coaching in the NBA ever since.
This is Belichick’s first time coaching college football. The six-time Super Bowl champion did not ask for advice on the transition between college and pro sports, Donovan said.
“He’s back in the NFL now with the way college is with the NIL and the money,” Donovan said. “So, I’m sure he knows very, very well what he wants to do and how he wants to do it.”
The Celtics, who are 6-6 over their last 12 games, have been struggling lately. After a scorching hot start to the season, the defending champions have not looked like themselves on a consistent basis in recent weeks.
Donovan said he endured a similar struggle during his second national championship season at Florida.
“I think there’s similarities in all that stuff,” Donovan said. “That’s why I was fortunate with Coach Belichick that we got a chance to spend a lot of time talking about that because obviously they did that here in New England. Coach (Pat) Riley at Miami was kind enough to spend time with me because right around the same time, they had won back-to-back national championships.”
“I got a chance to spend a lot of time with a lot of different people, but I there is a lot that you have to deal with there,” he added. “Because of them being the world champions, Boston, and there being 82 games, there’s an emotional level that you have to get to every single night.”
Sometimes that level can’t be reached every night, Donovan said. Enduring rough stretches is part of the game, and everybody handles it differently.
“There’s a lot that you have to deal with and manage and there’s a lot of distractions, and it’s a grind for the players,” Donovan said. “I don’t know if there’s any one way you have to go about doing it. I’m sure Joe (Mazzulla) has though long and hard about how he wants to handle it.
“I’m sure he’s doing a great job with his team,” Donovan said. “I don’t think there’s any question with their team and their experience. and how many Eastern Conference Finals they’ve had and just winning the NBA championship. They know exactly what they want to do and how they want this to play out, I would imagine.”
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