when the celtics finally reached the top of the mountain by winning the 2024 NBA title, there were many former cast members watching from afar. This included former players like Marcus SmartGrant Williams and others.
Also there was former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, now in his second season with the upstart Rockets. Before the C’s take on the Rockets On Friday in Houston, Udoka praised his former squad for reaching the top of the sport.
“Happy for them for sure and not surprised,” Udoka told reporters. “It came regardless and so I took the steps that they had before I got there and then the year I was there, obviously I didn’t fall short that year. I know it motivated everybody to come back and I was motivated to do it when I got there. I’m really excited for them and I’m not surprised by the jump they made.”
Udoka, of course, took an in-depth look at the rise of this current Celtics core. He led them to a 51-31 record in his rookie season, including a berth in the 2022 NBA Finals, falling in six games to the Warriors. Udoka was set to lead the C’s for the foreseeable future before his abrupt end in Boston. His suspension-turned-fire derailed the 2022-23 season just days before that season’s training camp.
But both sides have moved on since then. The C’s are led by third-year coach Joe Mazzulla, who has blazed his own trail after his own sudden rise to the top. The current Celtics have praised Udoka’s impact in his one season in Boston. Jayson Tatum has said it on several occasions Udoka is his favorite trainer.
Udoka is also busy leading the Rockets, who come into Friday’s game with a strong 22-11 record. Houston was no longer expected to be their good, but a good start has them in third place in the West. That’s after a 41-41 campaign last season in Udoka’s first season in Houston. Thus, Udoka’s team will face his old team in the reigning champions.
“The growth is not just the physical and it’s the experience that they’ve lived, they’ve had to go through,” Udoka said. “But IQ and experience are the same, and at times that hurt us in this series. … The physical, obviously, they have all the tools there and take on leadership roles, so the IQ and experience is really what pushed them to take the next step.”
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