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Celtics HC Is Unbothered By 1 East Rival

The Milwaukee Bucks’ signing of Damian Lillard shook up the whole Eastern Conference of the NBA.

It is the kind of significant adjustment that might seriously impact the conference as a whole for several seasons.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is obviously impressed by Lillard and his skills but he isn’t worrying too much about him in Milwaukee.

Sitting down with JJ Redick on “The Old Man and the Three” podcast, Mazzulla said that he doesn’t have time to focus on what the Bucks – or any other team – does.

Instead, he needs to keep his mind firmly planted on the Celtics and all they have.

This is a wise strategy, particularly in a league that changes and moves about so much year-round.

Any head coach, including Mazzulla, who is overly preoccupied with their competitors will not be giving their team’s best effort to win.

The Celtics have many strong qualities and excellent players, including rookie Jrue Holiday.

Instead than worrying about what the Bucks and other teams have done, Mazzulla wants to focus on them.

He said that the eighth-seeded Miami Heat finally defeated the Bucks, last year’s top seed in the East, in the first round.

They were the favorites to win it all and had a ton of excellent skill, but they were shortly eliminated.

He warned Bucks fans to be careful what they wish for.

They may have just created a monster trade with a lot of upside but that does not guarantee unchallenged, immediate success.

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Lamar Stevens Shares Why He Chose Celtics Over Other Suitors

The Celtics added Lamar Stevens eleven days before training camp to increase their depth.

The Miami Heat was one of many clubs that were intrigued in the former Penn State Nittany Lion, but he decided to join Boston on an Exhibit 9 deal instead. Although not guaranteed, his one-year contract is worth little more than $2 million.

When the regular season begins, the Celtics will only owe Stevens $6,000 if they decide to waive him due to injury. They could only do this because they had the minimal amount of players needed on their roster (14 players), which allowed them to sign him.

Visit HeraldOnline.com/sports/nba/article280093599.html#storylink=cpy to learn more.

Tuesday at the Auerbach Center, on the heels of Boston’s first training camp session, the former Cleveland Cavalier told Inside the Celtics why he still picked Boston over the other teams courting him. “The winning culture.

When I talked to Brad (Stevens) when I came here for a workout, he said, ‘The only thing they worry about is winning.’ And I felt like that was perfect for what I’m about and what I want to bring and the things I’m trying to achieve in my career.”

The six-foot-six Stevens is most impactful at the defensive end, where his six-foot-nine wingspan, strength, and ability to stay with perimeter players as they drive downhill makes him a versatile option who can switch one through four. There’s also a gritty nature to the Philadelphia native’s style of play and an infusion of energy he provides that the franchise and its fan base will appreciate.

In the wake of Marcus Smart and Grant Williams’ departures, Stevens conveyed the following to Inside The Celtics when asked about providing those ingredients — essential to a championship team — which are also crucial to him carving out a role on his new team. “Yeah, I think I can step right into that.

Adding Jrue (Holiday) on the defensive end and me, I feel like those are roles that can be filled right in, and I’m excited for that opportunity and (to) bring what I bring to the team, and hopefully, it can uplift us. Our main goal is to win each day, and I think we can help with that.