NBA Finals 2022 – Ime Udoka’s championship experience proves who helps the Boston Celtics equalize against the Golden State Warriors

Not a member wears the uniform of Boston Celtics played in an NBA Finals game before Game 1 on Thursday night. Much of this was made, in part, by Golden Empire Warriors but mainly because the plot at this stage has to be truffle hunt until no land is flipped.

There must be something to this experience, right? The lights are brighter, the stakes are higher, and the Warriors’ core is in their sixth Finals in the past eight years, trying to win their fourth. The question was posed, in every possible form, and the Celtics players responded by shrugging and repeating some version of “basketball is basketball.”

One exception is their trainer, Ime Udoka. When asked before Game 1 to do his part to continue the story, he said, as softly as possible, “Well, our staff has some experience. I’ve been to two myself. .. but i want to say [experience] is generally overrated. “

Those two sentences are related. Udoka’s experience – to some extent – negates the inexperience of his players. He played two seasons with San Antonio Spurs and was assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for the Spurs’ Finals trips in 2013 (lose) and 2014 (win).

Udoka was clearly paying attention.

With his arms crossed, he stood on the sidelines exuding an air of serenity, as if nothing that could happen in a basketball game could surprise or embarrass him. His toughest moments in his first season as head coach came when his team was just starting out (with a 16-19 record at a time) and everyone around him. wonder why he doesn’t yell at his players and throw things around the room. . Turns out he didn’t destroy the room because he was too busy reading it.

It was Udoka’s ability to predict calm – as much as Al HorfordThe extended lunch lasts 3 seconds, Smart Marcusof national defense and Jayson TatumThe ability to pivot from kicker to assist – that changed the conversation and gave the Celtics a 1-0 lead in the series heading into Game 2 on Sunday (8pm ET, ABC and on the ESPN app).

“In general, we have guys who are consistent and not easily swayed,” Udoka said during Saturday’s media briefing.

They proved it in Game 1, knocking their opponents off the field with a fierce attack in the fourth round that put the experienced Warriors to the test.

The Celtics started the fourth game with a 12 – and were no longer interested in missing shots. At one point, they scored 17 points with no answer to take the lead 14. It’s a lot of things – remarkable, stunning, seemingly endless – and Udoka never once changed his expression. mine.

“He obviously had to work his way up to get here,” Tatum said of his coach. “He carries that tough feeling with him and instills that into the group every day.”

In Boston’s fourth round, Udoka performed two unusual moves: He called a timeout, and he did it twice in 30 seconds while his team was rolling. At the time, it felt like Udoka was doing Warriors coach Steve Kerr – who possesses a considerable amount of timeout – a favor, acting as the calmer man at a craps table. .

With Udoka’s team up six at 109-103 with 3:47 left (nine points after running 17), he reacted with a slip Stephen the curry 3 and a Payton Pritchard recover by calling timeout first. He called someone else 30 seconds later, after the Celtics had scored again and Draymond Green missed two free throws.

The Celtics have four timeouts before he calls the first game, so Udoka will lose both in the final two minutes. However, it’s counter-intuitive to stop the flow of a big run – twice! – by dragging your team aside to reassess the moment.

But it’s Udoka’s way of making sure his team knows the job isn’t done yet as well as a clear sign of respect for his opponents. Everyone knows how the Warriors work: They never miss a quick shot and get their revenue from stringing together their own 3s and regenerating the power of the crowd. Any distraction can cause trouble. It’s one thing to make a ton of 3s – the Celtics hit seven in a row to start fourth – and another to start expecting it. By interrupting the tempo of the game, the man whose first name means “patient” has done his part to keep the floor from scattering and allow the Warriors to return there. .

The message is clear: Heavy lifting is done; Don’t waste all that hard work.

The Warriors walked away trying to convince themselves that they “dominated the game for the first 41, 42 minutes”, as Green put it. But from there, when it mattered most, the Celtics dominated while Udoka orchestrated it.

“He coached with the greatest things ever done in Pop,” Smart said. “He was a sponge. Every place he went, he soaked it in, put it in his game and brought it here for us.

“It’s all about energy. If the energy is right, you kick it. If not, then you don’t. It’s simple and straightforward: I think the energy has spread to all of us.”

It may seem out of the ordinary, but sometimes it’s best to channel that energy into controlling other people’s things. It’s the kind of move that looks a lot like the product of the experience.