SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Boston Celtics first-year coach Ime Udoka knows
a gritty run through the
Eastern Conference playoffs isn’t enough to cement his
young team’s place in the history of a storied NBA franchise.
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“Yeah, it would
all be for naught if we go lay an egg in the Finals, and we understand that,”
Udoka said after the Celtics edged the
Miami Heat 100–96 in game seven of the
East finals to line up a championship clash with the Golden State Warriors.
Sparked by young
stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and anchored by veterans Marcus Smart and
Al Horford, the Celtics opened the playoffs with a four-game sweep of a star-studded
Brooklyn Nets team led by two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
They followed up
with a seven-game win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion
Milwaukee Bucks before sending the top-seeded Heat home in another series that
went the distance.
It might be
impressive stuff, but the 44-year-old Udoka knows the Celtics franchise, whose
17 NBA titles are tied with the
Los Angeles Lakers for the most in history,
demands more.
“Guys were quick
to celebrate but quick to flip the page and say, we’ve got four more,” Udoka
said. “We don’t hang or celebrate Eastern Conference championships in the
Celtic organization.
“So we all fall in
line and appreciate that standard of excellence.”
Udoka, like his
Golden State counterpart Steve Kerr, once played for Gregg Popovich at the San
Antonio Spurs and he was an assistant coach under Popovich when the Spurs won
the NBA title in 2014.
But his first
season as a head coach didn’t appear to be heading for a title tilt when the
Celtics were under .500 at the midpoint of the season and Udoka’s public
criticism of his young stars didn’t appear to be helping the situation.
“There were
definitely some tough moments throughout the season where (you don’t) doubt
yourself but maybe question, can we do it?” Tatum said. “You start to realize
how hard it is to win. You start to question yourself — are you good enough to
be that guy?”
Smart said Udoka’s
hard-nosed approach did, indeed, motivate the Celtics, who have used a
powerhouse defense to overcome other shortcomings.
“(He) embodies
everything that we embody,” Smart said. “He kind of puts it on you to let you
know that, hey, I’m not taking no slack. And if you don’t like it, you can get
up out of here.”
Ready for
challenge
Udoka said he
never doubted the
Celtics would respond, despite the injuries and the lingering
uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic that dogged all teams early in the
season.
“To get to this
point we had to flip the switch and turn around in a lot of ways, and guys were
always receptive to being coached hard, to being pushed, to being asked to do
more,” he said.
“And that shows
the character of (being) pushed to grow and take the next step ... our focus is
getting four more.”
Udoka has a chance
to become the 10th coach to win a title in his first season — a list that also
includes Kerr who guided the Warriors to the crown in 2015.
The two teams
split their two regular-season games, but tellingly, the Celtics held the
Warriors to under 100 points in both.
“Very confident
going in,” Udoka said. “We know it’s a high-level team, executing team, has a
ton of great shooters, great players overall, guys I know well, and we’re ready
for the challenge.”
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