As Celtics players grieve Brad Stevens notes, ‘Kobe is their Jordan'

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NEW ORLEANS — Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens admitted that many of his young players were rocked by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant on Sunday and said the team would take a bigger picture view before their game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

"There’s no right or wrong emotion when you are experiencing something like this," said Stevens. "The way that I describe it, being a 43-year-old is, Kobe is their Jordan. So we’re not going to say anything about the game, we’ll just talk about why the game matters."

Celtics players like Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart took to social media to express their shock at Bryant’s death after a helicopter crash in Southern California. The NBA eliminated the media’s pregame access to locker rooms to allow players to grieve and compose themselves for the day’s games.

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Stevens and New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry spoke in hushed tones before Sunday’s tilt.

"Super sad," said Stevens. "Ultimate competitor, great for the game, loved the game. My favorite part has been watching him transition as a dad to a coach and those type of things. So, really hard."

Added Gentry:  "I don’t know where you can even start. Great competitor, great father, just really a sad, sad day for the NBA. Thoughts and prayers for his family and the whole Lakers organization. They lost one of the greatest players, but also the guy who was the franchise. A tough, tough day, a real tragic day."

Stevens marveled at the respect that those around the Celtics organization and, even the fan base he tortured, had for Bryant.

"He broke the hearts of the Celtics many times, but there’s probably not greater appreciation for him than all of us that worked for the Celtics, and certainly our fans," said Stevens. "All of our players totally looked up to him and totally admired him."

Added Stevens: “In [Bryant’s] last year [in 2015], our guys were all sneaking around getting his shoes signed and everything else, just like everybody else, right? I know a lot of our staff did, too. It’s so sad."

Gentry noted how the Pelicans had multiple players that had played for the Lakers and likely mingled with Bryant before being acquired in the Anthony Davis trade.

"It’s tough for them. We have three guys that played on that Laker team. He means everything," said Gentry. "They knew him enough and he was around enough that he tried to help them with certain things. It’s a huge loss for them. It’s a huge loss for anyone involved in this league at all, just because of who he was. The word competitor keeps coming up because that’s who he was."

Added Gentry: "He was all about winning championships. Individual accolades didn’t mean anything to him if they didn’t win championships. That’s the competitiveness he had, and that’s what I always remembered. He competed at such a high, high level. Just gonna be missed. He was in a good place with his life, he had retired, doing a lot of things that lead to a completed life away from basketball."

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Pelicans, which begins Sunday at 5:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 6 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

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