Coaches: Nate McMillan v Brad Stevens
Indiana native Brad Stevens. It is just fun to say.
He’s also one of the three best basketball coaches in the world. Sans Gordon Hayward for the entire season and Kyrie Irving for about a quarter of it, the Celtics had an uphill battle in many of their games. They needed to lean on rookies for consistent production on both ends and they were forced to get creative with lineups and sets time and time again.
And here they stand, with 53 wins and a chance for more. Stevens has done an unbelievable job making it all work.
McMillan deserves a ton of credit. He has done an amazing job with player development this season and he seems to always roll out the best lineup in clutch situations. He has proven that he is a great head coach.
But he is no Brad Stevens, and Stevens thrives in postseason play.
Advantage: Celtics