Jeff Van Gundy’s one-season stint as a Celtics consultant ended with the news Tuesday that the longtime coach and broadcaster is joining Ty Lue’s staff with the Clippers.
Even though he is moving on to another organization, the 62-year-old — who came to the Celtics after he was laid off by ESPN following 16 seasons as a game analyst — had effusive praise for the franchise, two days after it secured its 18th championship.
“It was a great, rejuvenating experience for me,’’ said Van Gundy Wednesday during a wide-ranging 25-minute interview on SiriusXM’s “The Starting Lineup,’’ hosted by Brian Scalabrine and Frank Isola. “The front office was — obviously they’re great at their jobs, but they’re exceptional people.
“Same with the coaching staff. I’ve mentioned this in the past to my friends, only Sam Cassell I believe is over 40, and as young coaches, they’re not consumed with credit. They’re just consumed with pouring it into the players.
“Joe [Mazzulla] did a masterful job of getting different personalities with different strengths. And they’re superior teachers. So I learned a lot and I really, really enjoyed them, too. They’re just really good people.
“And the players, when I say drama-free, that’s not doing drama-free justice. People don’t believe when I say this, there was not one issue this year. Not one. Not one team issue, not one guy late, not one.”
Van Gundy said the sacrifices made by individual Celtics players for the betterment of the whole should not be taken for granted.
“You couldn’t have had a more perfect start-to-finish year. And I think it goes to their talent, but also, the word ‘sacrifice’ gets thrown around a lot, but they invested in their team on a daily basis knowing they can’t get everything they want all the time.
“And so it was such a dominant, impressive performance that it almost became mundane to many that were observing it. But it was anything but easy. It was hard to do. And those guys should be celebrated.”
Van Gundy joked that the younger coaches on the Celtics staff kept him humble, almost by accident.
“The younger coaches, they have no idea who I am,’’ he said when asked if Celtics personnel knew him better as a former coach or as a broadcaster. “Like, who is this guy always eating lunch first? We don’t even know what he does. It was so funny. One time, Joe asked me, ‘Hey, have you ever been to the Finals?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but it was probably back when you were in fourth grade.’”
Van Gundy said that after the disappointment of being dropped by ESPN, the job with the Celtics helped him restore faith that his input is still valued.
“Sometimes in life you get told that your services are no longer required and it pushes you to think about what’s next,’’ he said. “I was grateful for this year and rejuvenated by the fact that character still matters.
“The game as it’s played has changed a lot. What wins and loses basketball games at any level has never changed and never will. And I thought that was comforting.
“I’d be happy being in basketball anywhere. I would’ve been happy doing it in Boston. I’m really looking forward to my time with the Clippers and Ty [Lue], who I’ve known for over 20 years since I coached him for a brief time in Houston and worked with him on the USA Basketball front. I just enjoy being a part of a team and working with really top-notch people that care deeply about basketball and winning.”
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