Brad Stevens has allayed fears that the Boston Celtics may go into Thursday’s NBA Global Game below par by insisting that they will try to ‘maximise sleep and eating’.
The Celtics are in London ahead of their regular-season clash against Eastern Conference rivals the Philadelphia 76ers at the O2 Arena.
It will be the eighth regular-season installment of the NBA London Global Game – in what has proven a hit since it was first introduced back in 2011.
Brad Stevens (centre) isn’t worried about jet lag affecting the Boston Celtics on Thursday
![The Celtics are in London ahead of their NBA Global Game against the Philadelphia 76ers](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/09/20/47F2B20C00000578-5251491-The_Celtics_are_in_London_ahead_of_their_NBA_Global_Game_against-m-13_1515528629414.jpg)
The Celtics are in London ahead of their NBA Global Game against the Philadelphia 76ers
![Boston head coach Stevens says they'll 'maximise sleep and eating' to avoid a sluggish display](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/09/20/47F2AF1800000578-5251491-Boston_head_coach_Stevens_is_confident_his_side-m-15_1515528714127.jpg)
Boston head coach Stevens says they’ll ‘maximise sleep and eating’ to avoid a sluggish display
Last season’s spectacle saw the Denver Nuggets thump the Indiana Pacers 112-140 – with the latter’s coach Nate McMillan conceding jet lag played its part in their demise: ‘It looked like it we were still asleep. I think most guys were asleep on that bus ride to the game.’
However, speaking to Sportsmail ahead of flying out to the English capital – which they did on Monday – Stevens was sure the same outcome wouldn’t occur to his side.
‘The one thing that I think we do a pretty great job of is plan and use as much as science as we can to try and figure out how to travel appropriately, adjust appropriately and everything else,’ he said.
‘For us, in a lot of ways, that’s game one of 82 and we’re really looking forward to it.
‘The time changes will be pretty dramatic for a couple of days but we’re not there too long. I don’t know how it will affect us but we’ve talked a lot about it and will try and maximise our sleep and eating.’
![Indiana Pacers (right) cited tiredness for their 140-112 defeat by the Denver Nuggets last year](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/09/20/15214FED00000514-5251491-Indiana_Pacers_right_cited_tiredness_for_their_140_112_defeat_by-m-17_1515529861291.jpg)
Indiana Pacers (right) cited tiredness for their 140-112 defeat by the Denver Nuggets last year
The first-placed Celtics (33-10) have edged both matches in America so far this season against the 76ers – winning the last encounter 108-97 at their TD Garden on December 1.
Ninth-placed Philadelphia (19-19) were without franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid for that fixture, as the injury prone star doesn’t play two games in as many days. They have the 7ft Cameroon centre back for Thursday – someone Stevens knows his side will have to adjust for.
‘I was hoping you guys would schedule a back-to-back,’ he joked. ‘He’s a hard guy to guard.
‘Obviously, they play a little bit differently when he’s in the game – they post a lot more, they play through some high pick and rolls with him, he blazes the trailer, he can put the ball on the floor and he gets to foul-line great. He’s a super talent.’
The 23-year-old Embiid told Sportsmail that he hopes to kick Celtics’ ‘a****’ and talk ‘s***’ when they meet in the English capital to further fan the flames between the two Atlantic Coast Division rivals.
![76ers star Joel Embiid says he can't wait to kick talk 's***' and kick the Celtics' 'a**' on Thursday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/09/20/47F3CDF000000578-5251491-76ers_star_Joel_Embiid_says_he_can_t_wait_to_kick_talk_s_and_kic-m-11_1515528384211.jpg)
76ers star Joel Embiid says he can’t wait to kick talk ‘s***’ and kick the Celtics’ ‘a**’ on Thursday
Boston and Philadelphia share a storied rivalry and history having met the most in the NBA play-offs – playing each other in 19 series, of which the Celtics have won 12.
However, Stevens refuses to get caught up in the past – insisting he only has the utmost respect for his opponents and their coach Brett Brown, while adding he can’t wait to see the Celtics supporters in London.
‘I don’t really get into the rivarly stuff,’ he said. ‘I know that we have a great deal of respect for Billy Lange [assistant coach] and Brett Brown [head coach] for the way they play, how hard they play and how good they are.
‘It will feel like we have a lot of fans over there – I still talk a lot about when we went over to Madrid and Milan a few years ago and we were blown away by all the Celtics jerseys.
‘It just reminds you that this is a pretty popular brand.’
![Stevens will hope to leave London having improved the Celtics' record this season to 34-10](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/09/20/47F2B99700000578-5251491-image-m-19_1515529909747.jpg)
Stevens will hope to leave London having improved the Celtics’ record this season to 34-10
The Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics at The O2 in London on January 11 as part of NBA London Game 2018. The game is live on BT Sport or via NBA LEAGUE PASS (www.nba.tv).