Stevens Summer: Honesty, Choice and the Reinvention of the Celtics

. Around them, the Celtics are trying to reinvent themselves. From training camp to the preseason, all signs point to this: The team is preparing to play a very different kind of basketball. Without so many famous stars, they hope to use energy, fight and depth to impact their opponents. Areas that have struggled in Mazzula's system over the past few years - such as creating turnovers and rushing offensive rebounds - are now the team's tactical focus.

In this training camp, which players called "extremely tough", Mazzula set the tone for the team. Although he expressed satisfaction with the current attitude of the players, he also soberly pointed out: "The problem with the training camp is that there is no real pressure, no dilemma...and when the pressure from the outside really comes, we must work hard to maintain the current state."

The Celtics' transformation began with the force of reality, but it also carried Stevens' persistence. That's what he emphasized repeatedly when he first explained the turmoil of the offseason to players and coaches.

"Joe (Mazzula) and I have been discussing this," Stevens said. "The last thing I want to see is that our coaching staff is in a position where they can't be fully committed and passionate about the team. I believe that as long as there are the right people and real competitors on the team, coaching will be a very interesting thing."

Since the new version of the collective bargaining agreement has just come into effect, the Celtics have become the first championship team to be impacted head-on by the "second tycoon line", but they will never be the last. Stevens believes that tougher penalties will push the league toward a more balanced competitive landscape.

Although every decision he made this summer was not easy, he also saw that the players and coaching team were welcoming the new season with new enthusiasm.

"In a lot of ways, it's a different challenge," Stevens said, "but we still have such a core - and we have an All-Star first-team player sitting on the sidelines in street clothes - I would say, compared to the pain that a lot of people went through later, we are actually very lucky."

(Text/Ji Mengnian)

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