Brad Stevens made his debut as the Boston Celtics coach in a 97-89 loss in a pre-season game against the Toronto Raptors.
The 36-year-old is now the league's youngest coach and took charge of NBA's most successful franchise. Stevens replaced Doc Rivers, after Celtics traded him to LA Clippers for a first-round draft pick.
Rudy Gay and Tyler Hansbrough both scored 17 points for the Raptors, as they defeated a relatively new Celtics side. Gerard Wallace scored 16 points for the Celtics, while Jared Sullinger had 14 points to go with his six rebounds.
"Really, really different just because it's a 48-minute game, something to get used to because of the timeouts. It's a little unique and different. There's eight more minutes [than college] and a lot more possessions because of the 24-second shot clock. Hopefully I'll get used to it in seven [preseason] games, but hopefully it doesn't last much longer than that. But it is different. It's unique," Stevens pointed out.
Stevens, who arrived at TD Garden five hours prior to the scheduled tipoff, looked nervous as he took his seat before the match. "Yeah, he's kinda nervous a little bit, but who isn't?" said forward Gerald Wallace, a 12-year NBA veteran.
Celtics are the most successful team in NBA and has won 17 world championships. The team is trying to start a new era, after they traded legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets.
The franchise wanted to rebuild the team before the future Hall of Famers retired. Celtics now have seven new players in their squad, along with the new coach.
