Boston Celtics head coach Brad Steven pointed out yet another example of how Chris Paul remains an All-NBA-caliber player even when his stats aren’t as strong as they used to be.
After the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Celtics 98-84 in a scrimmage Friday night, Stevens said Paul’s communication and leadership stood out.
“I thought the most interesting part — when you listen to Chris Paul, the whole place, there’s nobody else in here. And Chris Paul dominated the game with his voice,” Brad Stevens said, according to MassLive.
While Paul only had two points and attempted just three shots in 18 minutes, Stevens saw his impact on the court over that first half, which the Thunder led by as much as 10 before going into the break with a five point lead.
Both teams focused on bench units in the second half.
“If we would have played the whole game, they would have won because he was dominating the game with his voice,” Stevens said. “They are going to be a tough out, just being out here and watching them in person and hearing them in person.”
That was amplified — quite literally — on a court that had no crowd noise.
Communication on the court was discussed during the Saturday film session, Thunder big Mike Muscala said.
It’s something head coach Billy Donovan consistently emphasizes.
“Generally, veteran guys are going to do that better because there’s a lot more experience, they know exactly what’s getting ready to happen, what needs to be said, when it needs to be said,” Donovan said.
“Chris is elite at that. That’s one of his greatest strengths, is he’s an incredible communicator … The fact that he continues to talk, I think it gives our other guys confidence to continue to talk.”
Paul had five assists, two rebounds and just one turnover in a game that otherwise was turnover-filled as both teams tried to regain their rhythm after months off.
In the end, Paul wasn’t just a leader for the Thunder; Stevens thinks he taught the Celtics a lesson as well.
“That’s going to be critical as you move forward to be connected and communicate and doing those types of things. That was a great lesson for us,” Stevens said. “…We’re a fairly quiet group generally and I think that’s going to have to change collectively just because of this environment.”
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