Celtics' Head Coach Brad Stevens. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- End of the season awards are based on the regular season - not the playoffs - and the C's had an incredible one.
They turned over 73 percent of their roster to return just four players, had seven rookies, lost All-Star Gordon Hayward five minutes into the year, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart, and Marcus Morris all missed considerable time, and Brad Stevens' group still won 55 ranks to rank second in the East, and led the NBA in defense.
Still, Stevens didn't receive a single vote from his fellow coaches for NBCA Coach of the Year.
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James has won 17 of his 22 meetings with the Celts since returning to Cleveland, averaging roughly 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists along the way.
Former Celts Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner expressed their displeasure but, Brad, how do you feel?
"It means a lot more to me when I get a text message, or hear something nice from a former player," he said. "Those are guys that are in the locker room and that you're spending all your time with. Those guys know how much I appreciate and like them and enjoyed all our time together. That means a lot."
"But all the other stuff? The coaching votes and everything else? The way that thing works is, you get one vote," he continued. "And I'm telling you, I looked at the sheet, and there's no way that I would have voted for me over any of the other 29 people, and the guy that should've won got it. Those other guys that get votes, they're unbelievable. I'm stealing from those guys all the time."
Always humble.
The media-voted award will be released in the weeks to come.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Adam Kaufman reports