What was a special day for Boston fans was a bit of a stun for those who live in Oakland and San Francisco, when the well-coached Celtics handed the Golden State Warriors their first loss in Oracle arena since January of 2015. Worthy adversary, and first time all-star Isaiah Thomas led the charge from the Celtics, scoring a team-high 22 points against reigning league MVP Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
This game was the type of game you needed to see to appreciate—it was your typical tug-of-war grudge match that gave viewers a beautiful sight. Two heavyweight opponents trading shots back and forth is what we saw, with neither giving up an inch. Brad Stevens, second-year coach of the Boston Celtics has been familiar with shocking the world, and "knocking off giants" since coaching collegiate at Butler University. During his head coaching stint with the Butler Bulldogs, while an underdog in most of his post-season games, Stevens managed to coach his team past a number 2 seeded Florida, as well a number 1 seeded Pittsburgh in 2011. Butler began its continued success with the brilliant mind of Stevens heading the ship.
It's no wonder Danny Ainge and the Celtics organization chose Stevens to save their shipwrecked team once Pierce, Garnett, Allen and Rondo all departed. To choose a 37-year-old college coach, there must have been some hidden knowledge about Stevens' basketball IQ that is only publicly known now after last night' s victory. Whether it was drawing up schemes to get Thomas and Evan Turner open, or making late game substitutions to keep the team's morale and defense attentive, Stevens out-coached the Warriors coach, Kerr, in a hectic environment. This win was no easy feat for Stevens, and the Celtics, considering the fact that the Warriors team they faced may just be the greatest team ever assembled.
As of today, the Warriors are on pace to surpass the 72-10 record of the 1996 Chicago Bulls, who were NBA champions as well. That 72-10 record set by the Bulls is the best record in the NBA's history, so to see a team beat the well-trained Warriors in such a resilient fashion says a lot about the Boston Celtics' coaching, players and organization. The savvy fashion in which it was done represents the class of Stevens and his group of guys.
