Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse gets the ultimate compliment from coaching peer Brad Stevens. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Stevens gives major credit to Nick Nurse after difficult series

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 9/12/20

Nick Nurse’s Toronto Raptors may have fallen short in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, but the Toronto head coach left his counterpart impressed.

After his team won Game 7 on Friday night, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was highly complimentary of Nurse’s coaching during the series.

According to The Athletic's Celtics reporter Jay King, Stevens said they saw “more defenses and more stuff” from the Raptors than he’s seen as a coach.

Stevens said the Celtics saw “more defenses and more stuff” from the Raptors than he’s seen as a coach. Said that’s a credit to them, Nurse is a special coach and they have really smart players. Stevens said Lowry is among the best he’s ever coached against at thinking the game.

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 12, 2020

That’s a major credit to Nurse, who coached the Raptors to the NBA championship last year.

Even though Toronto did not win it all, the Raptors took Boston to a Game 7 in the conference semifinals and pressed the Celtics hard. They had a very nice season even after losing Kawhi Leonard in free agency and might have surpassed the expectations of those who thought they would not contend in the East.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: