BOSTON — Since returning to Boston to manage the Red Sox before the 2018 season, Alex Cora has made a point of keeping up with all of the other sports teams in town. He has kept an eye on the Bruins and been to Patriots games, even texting back and forth when Bill Belichick and snagging a selfie with Tom Brady along the way. But most of all, Cora has become a legitimate, diehard fan of the Celtics, who are now one win away from their first NBA championship since 2008.
Cora, who grew up a basketball fan and also keeps tabs on his alma mater’s hoops team at the University of Miami, has a special place in his heart for the C’s because of a strong bond he formed with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
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“He has been great for me,” Cora said. “When I was home in ‘20, he actually reached out to me to ask a few things about October, the way we did things and if I was in the bubble with them, what to do. We had great conversations about it. Joe (Mazzulla) has reached out to me a few times. I did a Zoom call with them and the coaching staff early in the season. It has been fun.
“They’re very similar to us in ‘18. With everything they went through with the head coaching part of it and Joe last year being the head coach but not having his staff… I think it was an obstacle for him. But he got the right people, they got the right coach. Brad is one of the best out there.”
Cora and Stevens have kept tabs on each other throughout Cora’s time with the Red Sox, which began when Stevens himself was coaching the Celtics. Cora has visited the Celtics’ practice facility in Brighton and is a frequent patron of big games at TD Garden when the schedule allows. He brought his twin sons, Xander and Isander, to Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers and sat courtside. The Red Sox have showed their support for the Celtics by lighting parts of their clubhouse with a green hue and instituting a Celtics-themed dress code for their road trip to Chicago last week. To accommodate fans who want to watch the potential clinching Game 4 Friday night, the Sox moved up first pitch against the Yankees to 6:40 p.m. ET.
Cora has enjoyed watching from afar as stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have evolved.
“It has been fun,” Cora said. “Going to the Garden is great. It’s electric. It’s fun. I took the boys over there and they loved it. They’re almost there.
“How this team evolved to who they are. They have two great superstars, young ones, and they’re really good at what they do. They have learned over the years how to become partners and just to overcome adversity. There’s a process in the NBA.”
Cora also is a fan of veteran big man Al Horford, who at 38 is chasing his first career title.
“What he said after clinching the East was powerful,” Cora said. “They asked him if he was hungry to win it and he said, ‘No, I’m starving.’ I got chills just thinking about it. You spend all your life trying to win it, win it, win it and it doesn’t happen and now he’s one win away from winning it. It’s gonna be great. Hopefully, it’s tomorrow.”
Cora, like the Celtics now, has found himself leading a championship series by a three-game margin. In the 2007 World Series, the Red Sox took a 3-0 lead with the opportunity to clinch the title in Denver. At that point, Cora said, the team was just anxious to play again and wanted to make sure Colorado’s bats didn’t get hot and potentially force larger issues. He doesn’t think the Celtics will have any trouble closing things out.
“Looking forward for Joe to win it,” Cora said. “That’s gonna be great. He’s a great guy. Very smart. His answer after Game 2, breaking down the first quarter, that was amazing, going through every step that happened. He’s been good. Talking to good coaches. Alex Cora and Pep Guardiola.
“I love the fact they’re almost there and everyone’s enjoying it.”
