In his first year as a head coach, Ime Udoka has helped lift the Boston Celtics to heights they simply couldn't reach under Brad Stevens' watch. Last month, the former longtime assistant became the first rookie coach in league history to win multiple Game Sevens, and by clinching the East title, he also became the fourth coach since 2014 to see the NBA Finals in his first season. Stevens guided the Celtics to three East finals from 2013 to 2021, and lost each series.
Entering this season, with Stevens serving as the new president of basketball operations, there were questions about Udoka's fit, and whether homegrown youngsters Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could thrive together on the floor. Before the new year arrived, fans' minds were made up, as Boston was below the .500 mark. But the Celtics' front office entrusted Udoka to take command and exercised patience. And now, they're three wins away from an NBA title.
"He's done a great job and there's no question about it. Got great experience, being an assistant coach for a number of years -- a former player," former NBA coach Vinny Del Negro told The DA Show on Tuesday. "And Udoka understood what the Celtics needed to do to get over the hump... I think he went in there and changed the complexion of things, defensively. Changed the complexion of their ball movement, especially with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum...
"They struggled early on because Udoka was putting in his style of play, what he wanted. And guys were kind of fighting against that. But then they realized it's going to make them better, in the long run. So, the small adjustments that they made, guys buying into it, it took time. But once they did, since January, they've been one of the top teams in the league -- and it's shown throughout the playoffs. They've had very difficult series, but they stick together."
Boston, which dropped Game 2 of the Finals to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, will host Game 3 on Wednesday at TD Garden, with tipoff scheduled for 9:OO ET. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Celtics now have an 82-percent chance to capture their first league championship since 2008, and if they do hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy, it'd be their 18th in team history. As for the Warriors, they're attempting to win their fourth title since 2015.
The entire NBA conversation between Del Negro and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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