Brad Stevens was interviewed pregame before the Celtics faced the Orlando Magic. Stevens was asked about Jaylen Brown and the status of Romeo Langford, who was suddenly put into concussion protocol.
“No he [Jaylen Brown] did not make the trip… chance that he joins us tomorrow in Chicago… Romeo yesterday in a drill bumped heads… this morning woke up with a headache… he’ll be in concussion protocol and hopefully he feels better soon.”
On the Orlando Magic and the matchup, Stevens said “They’ve won three out of four… they’ve got young, hungry guys that are getting an opportunity at the end of the season… anytime we play we have to play well to win… when we haven’t we’ve gotten beat by anybody.”
Coach Stevens was asked about former Magic player Evan Fournier’s competitiveness and drive in his early days with Boston. “I would say more than anything just his desire to play… he’s had such a tough go here… he’s like dying to play… he wants nothing more than to play and to try to help… he’s a guy that loves to play and wants to help us win.”
On facing younger teams that have nothing to lose and something to prove, Coach Stevens spoke honestly, saying “When you talk about opportunity, this is a time of year when young players are getting opportunity… we’re not that much separated from these teams you’re talking about, we’re not special… right now we’re in seventh place… that’s not really a place to be playing up or down… we have to play well to win as I’ve said all year… we’re just not good enough.”
