Stevens eager to have Celtics spend time in London

CORRECTS TO ARON BAYNES (46) INSTEAD OF MARCUS SMART (36) – Boston Celtics’ Terry Rozier (12) and Aron Baynes (46) celebrate after defeating the Houston Rockets in an NBA basketball game in Boston, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

When the Boston Celtics travelled to Rome at the start of the 2007-2008 season, it was the catalyst that built a championship-winning team chemistry.

With that precedent in mind, Brad Stevens plans to have similar results when his Celtics travel to London for their Jan. 11 game against Philadelphia.

“We very rarely, in the last couple of years, have left our practice facility to do anything in the preseason, but we went away to a college about an hour and a half away to spend time together,” said Stevens in a global media conference call.

“I think it’s really important, it’s important for us from a practice standpoint, it’s important for us from a spending-time-together standpoint.”

The Celtics are atop the Eastern Conference with a 30-10 record and have won three straight games while the 76ers are below .500 with a 17-19 record.

Stevens said the trip to England would be a unique experience for them as they would have some extra time to take in the sights of London instead of jumping straight into the plane to travel to another game.

“This is the most unique part about this trip, other than the fact that it’s across the ocean in London it’s the fact that we’re actually going to be in a city for a couple of days before we play and have a chance to work together.”