Brad Stevens Named Eastern Conference Coach Of The Month

BOSTON (CBS) -- After guiding the Boston Celtics to the best record in the Eastern Conference in February, Brad Stevens has been named the conference's Coach of the Month.

Stevens and the Celtics went 9-3 in February, with a perfect 6-0 record at the TD Garden (Boston has won 11 straight at home after Monday night's win over Utah). Boston scored 100-plus points in 10 of their 12 games and led the conference in scoring at 110.8 points for the month. They enter March with the conference's third-best record at 36-25.

The Celtics began the month by winning four straight, including a dramatic 104-103 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and closed with three straight W's at home over Milwaukee, Miami and Utah.

Stevens, a wizard of the dry erase board when it comes to drawing up after time-out plays, has earned praise from coaches around the NBA since taking over the Celtics in 2013. A rebuilding Boston team went just 25-57 in his first season on the bench, but the C's have gone 76-67 over the last two seasons under Stevens. The Celtics used a second-half surge last season to claim the Eastern Conference's seventh seed before getting swept by the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.

Stevens also earned Coach of the Month honors last April when the Celtics went 7-1 to close the season.

Portland's Terry Stotts, who guided the Trail Blazers to a 9-2 record in February, took home Coach of the Month honors in the Western Conference. The Celtics host the Blazers (32-28) on Wednesday night.

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