After an embarrassing loss Thursday, the Celtics defeated a familiar face.
After getting rocked by the Bucks on Thursday, the Celtics made up the damage done to their net rating in one big win as they blew out the Rockets 145-113 in Ime Udoka’s first return to TD Garden.
Here are the takeaways.
1. The consensus across the board from players and coaches regarding Udoka, including Udoka himself, seemed to be “let’s move past it.”
Udoka — who was suspended from the team for having an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer prior to the start of the 2022-23 season — expressly said he and the players involved in the Celtics’ run to the 2022 NBA Finals have moved on.
“We had a good year, not great year. Didn’t get it done,” Udoka said when asked about walking into TD Garden prior to the game. “But yeah, I would say just seeing some people I haven’t seen in a while, I obviously talked to. Then once it’s done, it’s done. A first time for everything. We’ve been through it and are ready to move on.”
Celtics players, meanwhile, were relatively (and predictably) tight-lipped about Udoka. Tatum said he wanted to keep the conversations he has had with Udoka private. Payton Pritchard, who knew Udoka from growing up in Portland, greeted his former coach warmly after the game. He admitted facing Udoka was “a little bit” weird.
“But I mean, they’re competitors,” Pritchard added. “They’re a great coaching staff. He’s a great coach and we just, I don’t know. It’s just another game to us, and I think they felt the same way.”
Jaylen Brown, who torched Udoka’s Rockets, said he was happy for the chance to go up against Udoka and members of his staff who jumped ship to Houston.
“It’s always good to see those guys,” Brown said. “It’s not easy to get to the Finals. So with that group, there’s always going to be something there.”
For their part, Celtics fans’ reaction to Udoka was mixed.
Moving on is unquestionably best for all parties. Throughout last season, some factions of Celtics fans on social media pined for Udoka whenever the team would struggle, but with a little more time to prepare for a season, Mazzulla is proving more than capable of leading a team through its ups and downs. Celtics players seem to respond well to his brand of leadership, and this year’s team has been one of the best in the league. Udoka, meanwhile, has a new team and a new set of challenges as he tries to sneak a young team into the postseason.
