BOSTON – The coach reaches into his suit pocket for the neatly folded paper, opens it, scans it, before folding it up and returning it to its place. He repeats this process every few minutes, every game, until eventually the freshly printed sheet looks like something forgotten at the bottom of a suitcase. Crib sheets are not uncommon among NBA coaches, though few consult them as often as Celtics coach Brad Stevens. Defensive keys, offensive keys, 10-15 plays written, Stevens says, “in my own jargon,” meticulous preparation boiled down to one page.

View photos Brad Stevens, far right, doesn't waste time in huddles. (AP) More

Preparation. In an era in which information is available in almost inconsumable amounts, Stevens sees it, filters it and utilizes it as well as any coach in the league. That’s what leads to plays like the one that beat Washington on Jan. 16, when Jae Crowder converted a lob pass for a game-winning layup in a situation Stevens predicted could unfold on the bus ride to the arena. Or Avery Bradley’s game-winner against Cleveland on Feb. 5, a possession that appeared busted but one that Celtics players swear played out exactly how Stevens drew it up.

“His capacity to prepare and his will to prepare is as great as anyone I’ve ever seen,” Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga told The Vertical. “The only other person I’ve been around who is like that is Kevin Garnett. He’s the most prepared coach in the gym in every gym he is in.”

Stevens scoffs at the suggestion his routine is any different than his peers. Forever humble, Stevens refuses to accept the premise. His secret: Being unoriginal. “I don’t think we have ever scored on a play that wasn’t derived from someone else’s,” Stevens said. Other coaches see it. “They run plays where you think, ‘Wait, where have I seen that before,’” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “And then you realize it was one of the best plays another team ran.”

Raptors coach Dwane Casey recently commented that a downhill play Boston ran for Isaiah Thomas – in which Thomas began near halfcourt and used his speed to attack the basket – looked like it was plucked from the playbook Toronto ran for Lou Williams last season.

Not so, says Stevens. “I saw [former New Orleans coach] Monty Williams run it for Jrue Holiday at the end of a triple-overtime game against Chicago the year before,” Stevens said. “The way I always wrote it in my notes was ‘NOP.’”

Indeed, Stevens is a sponge. It’s not so much a photographic memory as it is an ability to see a successful play, process it and tuck it away simultaneously. Take the one for Crowder. Days before the game, Stevens suffered a tragedy when Andrew Smith, his former player at Butler, died of cancer. Stevens was scheduled to fly to Indiana for Smith’s funeral after the Washington game. The lob play Stevens predicted on the bus was one he ran for Smith in January 2013, when Butler was in Philadelphia to play La Salle. On Boston's final possession, Stevens ran the same play for Crowder.

View photos Stevens is known for his preparation and positive outlook. (AP) More

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