For the entire season, Brad Stevens has received praise from the likes of Greg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers, and most recently Cavs' coach David Blatt.
Many others, from players and media, have acknowledged that the C's have a gem in their second-year coach. When people discuss who the Celts MVP is this year, they don't mention a player, they mention the guy wearing the suit on the sideline.
But in the fourth quarter last night, with his team down 2-0 to LeBron James and the Cavaliers, and facing an eight-point deficit in the final frame, the Celts' coach opted to play his best fourth-quarter scorer, Isaiah Thomas, just 3 minutes and 26 seconds, in the most important 12-minutes of basketball of the season.