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Brad Stevens, the president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, had a front-row seat to the second half of the New England Patriots dynasty during his tenure as the Celtics’ head coach from 2013 to 2021. During this period, he observed Bill Belichick guiding the Patriots to three Super Bowl victories over four years.
While on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Stevens shared his experiences visiting the Patriots’ facilities. Stevens highlighted the privilege of walking through the building and witnessing such a concentration of great minds at work, which provided him with a unique perspective on high-level sports management and team dynamics.
“When I moved out here, you’re right in the middle of the Patriots’ dynasty,” Stevens shared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “The quarterback room when I went and sat down with those guys – it’s (Tom) Brady, (Jimmy Garoppolo, (Jacoby) Brissett and Josh (McDaniels). You have all these future head coaches walking all over that building. Bill is obviously the most amazing resource you could ever have. You learn a lot from those people.”
Belichick and Stevens Have Built a Strong Friendship Over the Years
Stevens drew significant inspiration from his observations of the New England Patriots as head coach of the Boston Celtics. He admired how Belichick expertly supported his star players with complementary pieces, a strategy Stevens sought to emulate with the Celtics.
“We’ve been fortunate within our runs of playoffs is that we had a chance to be good and, at the same time, had a couple of other picks that we knew were there,” Stevens explained. “Danny (Ainge) just had to get them right, and boy, did he ever do that.” It’s about finding the people that fit best around them,” Stevens added.
In trying to build a culture and organization similar to the Patriots, Belichick and Stevens have become friends and developed a support system between the two. When Stevens transitioned from Celtics head coach to president of basketball operations in 2021, Belichick was very vocal to the media in his support of Stevens.
“I have a ton of respect for Brad. He’s a good friend, a great person,” Belichick said, as reported by Boston.com in 2021. “I think he’s certainly added a lot to the Celtics and sports in Boston. Personally, as a friend, he’s helped me as well in our conversations and the time we’ve spent together. “I’m sure whatever the setup is over there, he’ll enhance it, and the Celtics will continue to be the strong, competitive team they’ve always been.”
Belichick Has Always Been Supportive of Boston’s Head Coaches and Executives
Since his hiring in January 2000, Belichick has been the standard for coaching success in Boston. His tenure with the New England Patriots was marked by an exceptional sustained success that stands out even in a region where all four major sports franchises won championships in the 21st century.
Under Belichick’s leadership, the Patriots have secured multiple Super Bowl victories and maintained a level of consistency that other teams have struggled to achieve.
In contrast, the other major Boston sports teams have experienced much higher turnover in their coaching ranks. The Boston Red Sox have cycled through eight managers, the Celtics have had seven head coaches, and the Bruins changed their head coach nine times during the Belichick years in New England.
Because of this, Boston’s other coaches and executives were eager to use Belichick as a resource, and Belichick was more than happy to oblige.
“He’s the dean of coaches here, obviously because of who he is and his career. When you win so much … it’s amazing what he does,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained to Steve Buckley of The Athletic in 2023. “I don’t know how it started with Bill. Obviously, we went there after winning the World Series in 2018, and I was able to talk to him a little. Since then … I can text him whenever I want, and out of nowhere, he’ll text me.”
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery echoed Cora’s sentiments fully.
“Alex is absolutely right — Bill is the dean. And you know how I met Bill? He reached out to me. And oddly, he did it through a mutual connection we have in St. Louis — someone who he knows, and I know who now lives in Boston. I took my sons down to Gillette Stadium, and about a half-hour before kickoff, he came out to talk to us,” Montgomery said. “He invited me to their spring camp, and I got to spend an entire day around him and his staff.”
While the Belichick era in New England has officially ended, the vibrations and impact of Belichick’s approach and style to building a winning organization will be felt in Boston for years to come.
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