Ime Udoka is proving his worth as one of the best head coaches in the NBA in his rookie season with the Boston Celtics. While he inherited a solid core, Udoka got off to a rough start this season as the players took a while to adjust to his system. However, by January, the Celtics started to emerge as one of the best teams in the league.
Udoka is an extremely honest and direct coach. He tells his players exactly what he feels and that kind of honesty helps players be more accountable to the coach and to themselves. That mentality was on full display during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The Celtics took a big lead to start the game but saw it gradually cut down by the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter, with the Warriors even taking the lead momentarily. During a timeout in the same quarter, Coach Udoka decided to tell his players exactly how he felt about their play.
Ime Udoka may have saved the Celtics with a key question during a timeout after his team had committed some bad turnovers. According to a source, Udoka stepped into the huddle and said, "Will you guys stop playing like assholes?"
Aaaaaand we have our coaching moment of the year.
— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) June 9, 2022
The coach should be the most important voice in the ear of a player. If agendas are shifted and if a coach can’t command the locker room, more often than not, it ends in failure. Frank Vogel can attest to that.
The Celtics locker room evidently respect Udoka, so his criticisms can come off as challenges rather than a morale-deflating insult. The players were playing sloppy ball in the third quarter but rebounded extremely well to ensure the Warriors couldn’t re-take the lead.
Boston’s fourth-quarter defense shows that there was evidently a shift between the third and the fourth quarter. Boston decided to put the game away rather than playing complacently. Udoka’s words clearly left an imprint on the players who put their team up 2-1 in the Finals and will have a chance to go up 3-1 at home.
