5 reasons why the Boston Celtics are a legitimate title contender 

#4 Brad Stevens

Keeping the team together

One of the primary reasons why the Boston Celtics remained in the lottery for just one season after the departure of their big three of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett is the fact that they have one of the two best coaches in the NBA.

Brad Stevens has been a revelation ever since signing a 6-year, $22-million deal in July 2013 with the Celtics. Under Stevens' stewardship, the Celtics improved from 12th in 2013-14 to 7th the following season and were right at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 53-29 last season.

Stevens' forte is his ability to write effective ATO (after timeout) plays - he is by far the best in the league at it. Other than this, he is a coach under whom many young players have shown markedly improved skillsets. In nearly five years at the helm, he has proved his ability to maximize the available talent on the roster.

This is clearly the best team he has ever coached in the league. The Celtics made the Conference Finals last season. With Stevens at the helm, who is to say if Stevens can't coach them to go two steps better this season?