Blaming Brad Stevens Is Ignorant

The blame game is a dangerous game. The Celtics have been a huge disappointment this series and for some reason Celtics fans are placing the blame on Brad Stevens. I for one am dumbfounded by these takes, in my mind Brad is the last person you should be blaming.

Brad Stevens has put his team in position to win all four of these games and his players let three huge opportunities slip right through their fingers. Heading into tonight the C’s had led the Heat for more than 75% of the minutes in this series. They’ve blown multiple double digit leads and yet it’s still Brad’s fault?

Now I completely understand that finishing a game can be related to coaching strategies, but if you actually watch the games you could see that the Celtics were not being out coached, they were being out hustled. I refuse to blame Stevens for the 19 turnovers in Game 4 and guys shying away from going after rebounds. Several times there were four Celtics players and one Heat player under the rim and the only player to actually go after it was the lone Heat player. Don’t even get me started on the sloppy turnovers. You come all the way back to take the lead and immediately have multiple horrid turnovers, it’s just pathetic to watch.

The Celtics gave up 17 points off of turnovers and lost by 3. If the Celtics played with any heart or focus that game would’ve been an easy win. I don’t know what you all think Stevens is doing to cost them these games, but I promise you he’s not drawing up the old turnover and don’t jump for rebounds plays during timeouts. It’s wild that we can’t blame our star players because they’re “still young” and instead blame a highly respected coach.

I’m done with that excuse. These players have way too much playoff experience to be getting treated with kid gloves now, especially when they’re playing like it’s a pickup game in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s time for them to grow up and use the experience they’ve gained in their careers. I don’t see Tyler Herro struggling to play his ass off at the age of 20, so what’s Tatum’s excuse for being a complete zero the entire first half?

Be smarter. Stevens is one of the best coaches in the league and these guys wouldn’t be here without him. It’s time for the players to pick it up and help their coach, by coming out in Game 5 and playing like the team they are. This series should be flipped and I still think there is time to turn it around. Celtics in 7.

(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)