Bill Belichick gives his assessment of the Celtics ahead of the NBA Finals
Bill Belichick held a media availability session Tuesday morning, before the Patriots’ fourth OTA practice of the year. However, before he got to his own team he started off by addressing the biggest sports story in the region right now.
“Another great series for the Celtics, so congratulations to the team, the staff, the organization,” Belichick began. “Great accomplishment, looking forward to seeing that play out.”
“Obviously, they’ve played great in the playoffs and two-thirds of the season,” Belichick continued when asked his biggest takeaways from the team. “Really consistent, lot of good players. Played really good defense. They’re tough, they hustle, play smart basketball. Pleasure to watch. Fun to watch.”
Belichick also said that the relationship between all the teams in the city has been a valuable part of his experience in New England, going back to when he first arrived. “It’s been great. It’s been great going all the way back to when Rick [Pitino] was here when I got here,” Belichick recalled. “Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, it’s been a great relationship with our players and their players, and the teams and coaches, from my standpoint. It’s been great.”
In fact, Belichick said he’s stayed in touch with other former Boston coaches and executives after they left the city, continuing to share advice.
“Some things in common. Both in Boston, pro sports. Some of those guys move on, like Doc [Rivers] or Tito [Terry Francona] or Tony [La Russa], who was here, obviously, briefly. Dave Dombrowski, guys like that. It’s good to stay in touch with them, even though they’re in different organizations, still going to pull for the home team,” he said. “The relationships there, they extend past the initial introduction.”
Basketball wasn’t the only sport besides football that Belichick spoke about on Tuesday. He also referenced former Patriots running back Danny Woodhead, who is currently in the process of qualifying for the U.S. Open [which is being held in Brookline this year]. While Belichick said he is “pulling for” Woodhead, he stopped short of giving his former player any more coaching. “If he’s relying on me [for golf advice], he’s in a lot of trouble,” Belichick said with a laugh.
It sounds like Belichick will have a lot of sports watching to do in the coming weeks. The NBA Finals begin on Thursday, and Woodhead’s final qualifier for the U.S. Open is the following Monday.
