Bill Belichick shares what he admires about the Celtics’ playoff run

“They’re tough. They hustle. They play smart basketball.”

The New England Patriots are accustomed to players and coaches from the other Boston sports teams turning into fans to cheer on a Super Bowl run. But this June, the Patriots will go into fan mode when they watch the Boston Celtics take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Coach Bill Belichick discussed what he has taken away from this Celtics team, just four wins away from winning an NBA championship.

“They played great in the last two-thirds of the season and the playoffs. Really consistent,” Belichick said during a pre-practice press conference on May 31. “They have a lot of good players and they have a really good defense. They’re tough. They hustle. They play smart basketball. They’re a pleasure to watch — fun to watch.”

The Celtics and Warriors are set to match up on 9 p.m. in San Francisco on Thursday night. It’s fair to imagine Belichick will be watching for some of the games — and maybe he’ll even attend the Garden.

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