Celtics Talk Podcast: Retired NBA ref reveals how Brad Stevens interacts with officials

Share

Some NBA head coaches are difficult for referees to deal with.

Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens is not one of them.

However, that doesn't mean Stevens won't get upset at referees when they make a bad call. Stevens certainly isn't afraid of showing emotion, but he also won't go out of his way to be rude toward the officials.

Click here to enter NBC Sports Boston’s Podcast Sweepstakes for your chance to win a desktop Bluetooth speaker/microphone!

Retired referee Danny Crawford, who spent 32 years officiating NBA games -- including the first four years of Stevens' career in Boston -- joined the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast to discuss several topics, including the Celtics coach's demeanor toward the refs.

"I'll tell you what, Brad is a sneaky -- I'm not going to say nasty, because he's not a nasty man, but Brad, he gets his shots in," Crawford said. "He defends his team, he defends his players in a classy, professional way."

Listen and subscribe to the Celtics Talk Podcast:

Crawford was quick to point out Stevens' interactions with referees are "totally different" than former Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

"Doc is difficult," Crawford said with a laugh. "Between Doc, Larry Brown and Kevin Loughery, three of the most difficult coaches to actually work under."

Stevens became Celtics head coach prior to the 2014-15 season, and Boston has steadily improved throughout his tenure. The C's have won 48 or more games in four consecutive seasons, as well as five playoff series over the last three years.

The 43-year-old coach has done another fantastic job this season. The Celtics have exceeded expectations and currently occupy third place in the Eastern Conference standings with the 2019-20 campaign on pause.

Also in the new episode: Crawford reflects on Michael Jordan's push-off in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals (he officiated that game), what he thinks of C's legend Tommy Heinsohn and much more.

You can check out the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network or on YouTube.

Contact Us