The Houston Rockets, led by coach Ime Udoka, are back in Boston after rebuilding.
On June 16, 2022, Ime Udoka concluded his first season as the Boston Celtics’ coach. He was pleased with his team’s performance even though he was two victories away from an NBA title. Udoka, who was the Houston Rockets’ coach at the time, will be back on the sidelines at TD Garden on Saturday for the first time since that summer. Between the trip to the NBA Finals and taking over as coach of the Rockets, Udoka was suspended and fired by the Celtics due to inappropriate behavior at work.
An responsible Udoka, having been employed by Houston, is attempting to move on. His relationships with his former Celtics teammates are still close, and he has turned the rebuilding Rockets into winners far sooner than expected.
The players for my team, the Celtics, will express their pride in what we’re accomplishing and vice versa. I notice what they’re doing as well,” Udoka said on December 17 to Andscape. “The relationships we developed during our one-season stay were the most significant aspect of our experience. I’ll continue to chat to some of those guys for the rest of our lives. There is a strong connection as a result, and while you reflect on the past and consider what might have been, you also recognize the influence you have had and the relationships you will have in the future.
The Celtics hired Udoka on June 28, 2021. He worked as an assistant coach for a total of nine seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs before earning his first head coaching position in the NBA. Before the Celtics lost in the opening round of the playoffs in 2021, they had advanced to the Eastern Conference finals three of the previous four seasons under the leadership of the former NBA journeyman guard/forward.
Following a difficult 23–24 start, Udoka led the Celtics to a 51–31 regular-season record and, in his first season, to the 2022 NBA Finals. Boston had not made it to the NBA Finals since 2010. In addition, Udoka placed fourth in the NBA Coach of the Year voting and became one of five rookie head coaches to make it to the NBA Finals in the previous 25 years, per ESPN Stats & Information.
Time is fantastic. Former Celtics guard Marcus Smart said to Andscape, “Obviously, given the circumstances, we didn’t get to give it another run and it really showed.” “It’s not very common for a first-year head coach to take the team he had with Boston to the Finals and beyond, as well as to be right at.500 midway through the season and then go to the championship game. And that’s where we have to give him credit. We forged a unique bond together.
I got into the game. He knows a lot of what we go through as players since he was himself a player. When you can talk to someone in charge, like a coach, or find someone else who is aware of your situation, that connection only grows stronger.
However, following an investigation by an outside law firm that discovered numerous infractions of team policies, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck announced in September 2022 that the team was suspending Udoka for the 2022–2023 season. The Celtics named Joe Mazzulla temporary head coach in Udoka’s absence.
The Boston Grizzlies’ current player, Smart, stated that the loss of Udoka last season had a significant effect on the team. The Celtics were unable to make it back to the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat defeated them in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals of 2023.
When discussing Udoka’s suspension and termination, Smart told Andscape, “It definitely put a dent in us.” “We were on a high wave of making it there [to the Finals] yet coming up short. We anticipate that after a complete [season] under [Udoka], we will be able to truly engage in this activity once more. We just were not given that opportunity. And it’s difficult to resist wanting something like that once you taste it. And then it’s like, “Damn, what happened?” when you can no longer understand it. What might have taken place? What actions could we take?
It certainly left a scratch on us. The allure of this game, though, is that we get to play as professionals. Regretfully, it did occur. But Ime taught us a lot, for sure.
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