Belichick praises Brad Stevens, says Celtics coach is 'phenomenal'

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens admires Bill Belichick, and clearly, the feeling is mutual.

The New England Patriots head coach spoke highly of Stevens following the Celtics' loss in Game 7 of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals on Sunday.

"Coach Stevens is incredible," Belichick told Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, according to Larry Brown Sports.

"He always points out that the players are the ones who, regardless of the situation, have made this a special team, defying all expectations and adversity game after game after game. But he clearly is a driving force behind it. Coach Stevens is a phenomenal person, leader, teacher and strategist, and the job he does is a model for all coaches."

Stevens has spent a lot of time with Belichick, even borrowing the famous "do your job" mantra during the Celtics' 2017 playoff run. As the 41-year-old explained to NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund recently, he often comes away from their meetings feeling "inadequate as a coach."

He is the head coach of the @celtics, but he's learned a lot from the other team in town...@cfrelund sat down with Brad Stevens to discuss what he's taken away from watching @Patriots head coach Bill Belichick ai pic.twitter.com/0lYJCc0G6k

- NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 16, 2018

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