The Boston Celtics entered the NBA trade deadline as one of the best defensive teams in the league. Brad Stevens and the C's front office doubled down on that strength with a pair of moves on Thursday.
First, Stevens swung a deal with the San Antonio Spurs for defensive-minded guard Derrick White. He followed that up by bringing back big man Daniel Theis in a trade with the Houston Rockets.
The Celtics had to part ways with Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando, and a 2022 first-round pick to make those moves happen. A hefty price to pay, but one Stevens believes was necessary to propel the team forward.
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Forsberg: What Derrick White can bring to the Celtics
Stevens believes if the Celtics hope to make a run this season or in the next couple of years, they'll have to lean into their defensive identity.
"I think it's our hope of being special," Stevens told our Chris Forsberg on "Celtics Pregame Live". "Maybe that comes in the next three or four months, maybe it takes longer to get there. The reality is, if you truly want to measure a team and how it functions together, just watch them guard together. Watch them talk. Watch them cover for each other. See how much they care on that end. See how much effort they're giving for each other, let alone individually. That can tell you the story of what a team feels like."
That approach certainly has helped Boston over the last couple of weeks. The C's have won six straight games and eight of their last nine. Their 95.4 defensive rating during that win streak tops the league by a significant margin. They're the third-best defensive team in the NBA this season with a 105.3 rating.
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Simply put, that emphasis on defense has helped to turn around the Celtics' season. That's been enough to get the players to buy into the identity Stevens wants to create.
"I do think we're better than our record is, but we have put ourselves in a tough position with close losses," Stevens said. "But the last two weeks, even though we've played sometimes teams that aren't full, we're playing to a different standard and we look different. There's a feel to that that may or may not result in wins or losses here as we move forward on every given night that we hope to, but I think ultimately we're building something with a new coaching staff that I think can be special."
The new-look Celtics will look to stay hot when they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
You can watch Forsberg's full interview with Stevens below: