Take a quick look at any defensive efficiency rankings and you’ll see Boston sitting in third place behind just San Antonio and Miami. That the latter two are near the top of the NBA isn’t very surprising. Tim Duncan is still going strong for the Spurs while the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside is sending back opponent’s shot attempts at a league-leading rate. Puruse the Celtics roster and you won’t find a defensive anchor anywhere on their roster. In fact, one of their biggest offseason acquisitions — David Lee — has one of the worst defensive reputations in the league.
So how is Stevens doing this?