NBA: Boston Celtics Coach Brad Stevens Not In Favor Of Playing Games In Empty Arena

KEY POINTS

Boston Celtics is currently the third-seed in the Eastern Conference with 42-21 card
Coach Brad Stevens feels bad about the possibility of playing games in an empty arena
Kemba Walker hopes for the fans’ understanding about the situation

Not everybody is welcome to play an official NBA game in an empty arena just like how they do their drills and scrimmages during practice.

That’s what Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens has in mind when he talked about the idea of not allowing spectators to enter the arena to watch the game, especially that the NBA playoffs is fast approaching. The possibility of having it done was talked about after the league decided to create very minimal physical contact with the fans to avoid the spread of the epidemic.

“Nobody wants to play without fans. That would be really too bad,” said Stevens via Celtics Blog who quoted Joh Karalis’ interview.. “This thing is built on people liking it and the reason why we’re all where we are and get a chance to do this for a living, and make a good living, is because people are interested in it.”

“It’s counterintuitive not to have people in the stands. But... they’ll have to make the decision on what’s the best interest for everybody’s health,” added the youthful coach via MassLive. The former Butler University coach opened up about his son being sent from home to school as a preventive measure.

This is obviously new,” said Boston forward Gordon Hayward. “So we got informed about this, this morning. I think they’re going to have a meeting Wednesday, so just go with the flow on that.”

“Just really being cautious for the most part,” said guard Kemba Walker. “I just hope the fans kinda understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to go about it.”

“I think it’s just as much a concern for everybody else. You know, obviously you want to keep everybody safe,” said guard Marcus Smart. He also emphasized the importance of washing their hands and having less contact with people to prevent the spread of the disease among themselves.

The Celtics are currently at 42-21 win-loss card before tonight’s game against Indiana Pacers, good for third-seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks and reigning champions Toronto Raptors.