What Brad Stevens said about resuming the NBA season
"We feel a responsibility to do your small part, and our small part would be to be a diversion or distraction for people that are facing real stressors in life."
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As the NBA’s hiatus continues due to coronavirus, Brad Stevens and the Celtics are just waiting for their numbers to be called.
The coach of the Celtics, appearing Monday on Kentucky coach John Calipari‘s “Coffee with Cal” show, said he’s encouraging his players to be “a week away from their best shape” in the event that NBA commissioner Adam Silver decides to lift the league’s suspension that came down on March 11.
“In an ideal world, I don’t think there’s any question, everybody associated with all these teams, especially with all of us that are in playoffs, we want to play,” Stevens said.
The Celtics clinched a playoff spot in the last game they played, a 114-111 win over the Pacers on March 10.
Stevens told Calipari that the Celtics have emphasized staying connected away from basketball, and are participating in virtual strength and conditioning while the season is on hold. Semi Ojeleye said the team provided him with workout equipment.
The NBA was the first professional sports league in the United States to announce a suspension due to the coronavirus, after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive. Silver said in April that he did not expect to have any updates until May, but no official plans have been released regarding the continuation of the season. The Athletic reported that Silver told players the season would probably resume in neutral sites without fans, and playoffs would not be shortened.
“I think the reality is, we all really trust [Silver] and his leadership and whatever that he decides through working with all of our specialists and scientists, all of the different groups that are discussing it, to make the right decision,” Stevens said.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Friday he hoped to open the team’s practice facility in Brighton this week. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Massachusetts’s reopening plan on Monday, but offered no clarity regarding the future of sports in the Commonwealth.
“We’d love to be back on the court,” Stevens said. “We feel a responsibility to do your small part, and our small part would be to be a diversion or distraction for people that are facing real stressors in life. We’ll follow Adam’s lead and go from there.”
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