The Celtics' reactions to Stevens' first ejection

“He is extremely competitive and passionate, so it was bound to happen at some point,” said Matthew Graves, a former Butler assistant under Stevens and now the head men’s basketball coach at the University of South Alabama. “He’s just fighting for his team.”

Was anyone else hoping that Stevens really lost it the first time he got ejected? I was hoping for him to turn into some sort of Hulk like monster and smash the refs on his way off the court. In all of his years in basketball, Brad Stevens had never been ejected from a game, so that is essentially 37 years of frustration building towards a defining moment of rage.

Unfortunately, what we got was a completely calm headed ejection. Ho hum.

While Stevens' first ejection lacked 10-foot-tall Gamma ray fueled giant green monster rage, it did endear him further to his team. The Boston Celtics know that their coach is behind them and in this for the long haul.

Brandon Bass

That’s exactly how the Celtics’ players looked at it, too. “He’s standing up for his team,” said forward Brandon Bass. “That’s all you can do.”

Jeff Green

“He fought for his team,” he said. “What he had to say, I guess it was right. I don’t know what he said, but whatever he said, it had to be said. He got tossed for it, but that’s him standing up for us.

“It’s very nice, because we’re out there battling and the refs, they make the calls. You can’t argue with them, but sometimes, they do get it wrong. It’s good to have our coach fight for us.”

Gerald Wallace

“It means a lot,” Wallace said of Stevens’s response. “It shows spirit. I think it has been in question whether he supports us or goes all out during the games. I think it just kind of boosts the guys’ confidence [in him] and in believing in him knowing that he’s willing to fight for us.”

The Celtics are back in action against the Utah Jazz tonight at 9PM EST... AND YOU BETTER WATCH THE F OUT, UTAH, BECAUSE STEVENS IS COMING... FOR BLOOD.