Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens opens up about the his friend Alex Cora stepping down as manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Here in New England, sports teams are a tight knit group. Not just between the players but the coaches as well. We’ve seen the head coach of the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens, attend the start of training camp and practices of the New England Patriots. We’ve also seen Bill Belichick hanging out with Wyc Grosbech court side at the TD Garden.

Typically we’re accustomed to seeing the first-round draft selections or franchise players of the teams in Boston come into Fenway Park and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. N’keal Harry, Grant Williams, and Carsen Edwards all made appearances at Fenway for a game and on field experience this season.

When the Boston Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, Alex Cora showed up to the TD Garden hoisting the Commissioner’s trophy over his head at center court. So it’s safe to say that the coaches around here are all pretty close with each other and want all the teams to be successful.

Brad Stevens has always admired the history of Boston sports and the other great coaches that make up the four major sports in Boston. That includes both current and former coaches, as we’ve seen Stevens and Doc Rivers do some extracurricular activities together.

After the Red Sox made their decision to fire Alex Cora after the findings of an MLB investigation taking place within the Houston Astros for a cheating scandal, Brad Stevens was asked what he thought about the whole situation. It should be mentioned that Cora and Stevens have grown a friendship over the last few years.

“Obviously there was going to be fallout from the report. But I know Alex well, gotten to know him, we’re friends. I feel badly for him. Obviously, there’s always consequences. It sounded like based on his statement and the Red Sox statement, they understood that. That doesn’t change how vibrant he is when he walks in a room, how much he raises the energy level of the room, how good he’s been to me.” – Brad Stevens, per A. Sherrod Blakely, NBC Sports Boston

Whether it’s about his own team or something else going on in the world, Brad Stevens always seems to say the right things even in the hardest of times. Sometimes he seems emotionless, but Stevens genuinely felt “sorry” for Alex Cora.

via @ZoandBertrand, Brad Stevens talks about the Alex Cora situation, and his friendship with Josh McDaniels and other coaches in town. pic.twitter.com/3WuAk8Kbir — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 15, 2020

As for the players, most recently we all learned that Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola were having a wild boys night out with Boston Celtics great, Paul Pierce. Who would’ve thought that they would be hanging out, let alone partying?

All in all, it just goes to show how close the teams, players, and coaches are with each other regardless of their sport. I’m unsure if other sports cities partake in this kind of activity but it’s pretty cool to be a part of as a fan!